Blasting Off with the Jets

An Unbelievable Loss

2011-11-18T14:34:00.001-05:00

I'm still in a state of shock that we actually lost that game last night. For 54 minutes the defense played an amazing game. I think the Broncos started drives on our side of the field 4 or 5 times and came away with 3 points. The playoff hopes aren't dead, but it isn't looking good.

Some Observations:

1.) For the first time, I am losing hope in Mark Sanchez. He looks extremely tentative throwing the ball and his accuracy is suffering because of that. If he had waited an extra half second in the pocket Santonio Holmes would have had an easy touchdown. Instead, he threw the ball too early, while under no pressure, and Von Miller made a good play and tipped it away. The interception for a touchdown was unacceptable in that situation. The Broncos offense couldn't move the ball 10 yards the entire half and Sanchez decides to hand them a touchdown. The offensive line isn't playing well (I will get to that in a second) but Sanchez has to adapt. I believe that Sanchez has the intelligence and arm to play quarterback in the NFL. I think there's something seriously messed with his internal clock. There are times when he holds the ball for way too long and gets sacked and there are others when he seems terrified of a sack and releases an off balance throw that has no chance of being caught. I don't know if there is a way to "fix" Sanchez but my initial thought is that it is not going to happen this year.

2.) The offensive line play can be summed up in one play. Sanchez took a one step drop and throws a ball parallel to the line of scrimmage to Santonio Holmes and gets absolutely destroyed. Now, how exactly do you let your quarterback get hit on a one step drop? I'm pretty sure nobody has an answer for that question. Wayne Hunter is terrible at right tackle and it is becoming more and more apparent each game. He is letting Sanchez get hit way too often and I'm not sure how Rex still defends him.

3.) Brian Schottenheimer (or Shittenheimer if you prefer) is going to be the person to take the fall for this team's offensive performance. It is really hard for a fan to fairly evaluate an offensive coordinator's job performance but like the offensive line, one play last night summed it up. The Jets had a 3rd and 5 inside Broncos territory when Schottenheimer calls a direct snap to Joe McKnight. Now, if you make this call with Shonn Greene or LT it is understandable. Maybe you catch the linebackers on their heals expecting pass and you rip off a nice gain up the middle. However, calling this play with a 3rd string running back is absolutely uncalled for. This was a huge conversion that the Jets needed and Schottenheimer expects the third string running back to get his hands on a direct snap! Absolutely unbelievable. If I were Rex I would fire the guy today. Hand the job off to Callahan or see if Tom Moore wants to fill in for the end of the season. Anything beats crap like that play call.

4.) The final play was another play call which absolutely baffles me. You have a quarterback who you know if not going to throw the ball. Rex has even said that he told his defensive players that there was no way Tebow was going to throw in that situation. So, what does the logical person do in that situation on 3rd and 5 where the main object is preventing a touchdown? Spy Tebow with David Harris (which we did all game anyways) and set the edge on the outside. I am no football expert but that is just logical. You want to make him throw the ball or you want him to run inside where somebody puts a body on him. What do the Jets do? Send an all-out blitz and give the responsibility of setting an edge to Eric Smith. Like he did all game (and all of last game) Smith takes a horrible angle and gets beat. Tebow runs 25 yards untouched into the end zone Great call.

5.) Hey Joe McKnight, HOLD ON TO THE FUCKING BALL! That is all.

6.) One side note to this game was the refereeing. This DID NOT make us lose this game in any way but I thought I would point it out. There were about 3-4 hits on Sanchez which seemed like spearing or happened extremely late. Von Miller is a great pass rusher but I couldn't believe some of hits he was getting away with. If the Broncos do make the playoffs somebody had better inform him that he can't do that against quarterbacks who the referee respects.

That is all.

Season Overview and Jets/Broncos

2011-11-17T13:21:00.001-05:00

I took about a year off from blogging but I'm going to try to get back into it because fitting my thoughts on Twitter is getting way too annoying.

Some early season observations:
1.) Darrelle Revis is the best corner in football and may even be the best defensive player. The way he moves in and out of his cuts to follow receivers is absolutely incredible. He may get away with physical play more than other corners but star players get star treatment. Tom Brady gets a roughing the passer call if somebody touches his jersey. That's the way sports work.

2.) Kyle Wilson has turned a corner. He worked out with Revis this summer and the results of that are showing up on the field. Wilson is finally locating the ball in the which is cutting down on his penalties. (My last post gets on Wilson because he was not locating the ball in the air)

3.) Rex's Defense. The defense has been way too inconsistent thus far for the Jets to make a serious run. They look great one week (against Buffalo) and can't stop anything the next week (New England). However, I think the easy schedule from here on out could give them some confidence heading into the playoffs. That has to start tonight with stopping Tim Tebow and the Broncos running game.

4.) Joe McKnight has been a great kick returner. His yards per return average is tops in the NFL by about 10 yards a return. However, special teams mistakes have contributed to at least 2 Jets losses that I can think of right now. Cromartie's fumble on the kick return in Oakland essentially ended that game and McKnight's fumble of the punt last week against New England was a huge momentum swing. The special teams can't be making stupid mistakes like that.

5.) Along with the rest of the team Mark Sanchez has been inconsistent. Sometimes he looks like a quarterback who is more than capable of leading this team on a deep playoff run and others he is throwing the ball 10 feet over open receivers heads. I don't think he has had that bad of a year considering the horribly inconsistent offensive line play but he definitely needs to show something in the second half.

Jets v. Broncos 11/17/2011

Prediction:
Jets- 24
Broncos- 6

What will the Jets do?
Run Run Run. The Broncos pass rush has been one of the best in the league with rookie Von Miller leading the way. The way to combat this pass rush is getting a running game going and letting Sanchez use play-action. The loss of Tomlinson in this one hurts a bit but I think McKnight can easily pick up the slack.

What will the Broncos do?
Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run. The two teams may punt a combined 50 times. Denver has basically given up on the pass under Tim Tebow and will be looking to wear down the Jets run defense. Revis and Cromartie will be matched up one on one on the outside and will have to stay focused as the Broncos attempt to run the ball 60 times.

Keys to the Game

Build up a lead. If the Jets are playing from ahead the Broncos may have to give up on the run which would play right into the Jets hands.
Stop the run. It's fairly simple in this one. If you don't stop the run than you don't win. Tebow's option offense will require each defensive player to stick to their assignment and make tackles. It is kind of like the Broncos are giving us a 60 minute defensive fundamentals practice.
Eliminate mistakes. I don't see the Jets losing this game unless they give up points on offense or special teams or make a huge special teams mistake.
Trap Game? This seems to be the definition of a trap game after the Jets put everything into last weeks tilt with the Patriots. I'm looking for a slow start but I think that will be overcome quickly.

Jets v. Broncos Preview

2010-10-17T12:16:00.000-04:00

The Jets come into the game as one of the hottest teams in the league after taking down good teams like Minnesota, Miami and New England. The Jets fly into Denver to face a Broncos team which excels in the passing game and seems to have its sole mission be to get Kyle Orton 10,000 yards passing. The Jets secondary will have to be ready to combat a QB who may throw the ball 50+ times. Our defense's bend but don't break philosophy has been pretty good all year and if we can shut down the Broncos passing attack in the red zone I can see us running away with this game because they have absolutely no running game. The Jets offense will have to control the ball with the run and keep Denver's offense off the field.

What to watch for....

The Jets still haven't allowed a first quarter point. Let's see if they can continue that trend today.

Darelle Revis did not look like himself last week coming off the hamstring injury and he will be needed this week to shut down the Broncos passing attack. IF Revis plays, he has to be sure he's 100% ready.
The Jets need to take advantage of a very beat up secondary of the Broncos. Brian Dawkins, Andre Goodman and others in their secondary will be missing and Sanchez will have to take advantage of that.

Who to watch for...

Tomlinson should be able to pick apart the Broncos run defense. He has looked great in the past few weeks and I fully expect him to pick up near 100 yards today.
Calvin Pace, Jason Taylor, Shaun Ellis: These three (and others) will need to get after Orton and not allow him to sit in the pocket and pick apart the secondary. Get to him early and make him play a step quicker for the rest of the game.
Santonio Holmes: I think Holmes will have a good game today in his second full week back. He should be full go today and he will need to cut out some of the drops that plagued him last week.

The Jets should go in to Denver and win this game. However, I am more nervous about this game than I normally would be against an average team because of the Broncos passing attack. They will attack, attack, and attack more in the passing game and we can't allow big plays.

Prediction:

Jets- 31

Broncos: 17

Game Review: Jets v. Bills

2010-10-03T21:48:00.000-04:00

Jets- 38
Bills- 14

The Jets went up to Buffalo and turned in a dominant performance against an abysmal Bills team. The running game finally took off as both LT and Shonn Greene both went over 100 yards and the defense completely shut down the Bills offense. The Jets move to 3-0 in the division and 3-1 overall and are in a great position. The Jets running game was absolutely dominant and they really had no chance to stop either LT or Greene.

Thumbs Up...

LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene: Both went over 100 yards and LT looked particularly dominant in this win . His signature 26 yard touchdown run included a cut that made him look like the LT of old.

Dustin Keller: Keller picked up another two touchdowns to continue his torrid streak.

Antonio Cromartie: Cromartie has looked great in the last few weeks and today he shut down Lee Evans. Cromartie had very tight coverage on every throw to his side and used his long arms to disrupt Evans and Fitzpatrick.

Thumbs down...

Kyle Wilson: Wilson has to do a better job turning to find the ball. He got burned on the Bills second touchdown and he shouldn't be giving up plays like that.

The Jets came into this game expecting to win and delivered a great performance. The running game and defense were top notch and there wasn't really much of a question who was going to win the game going into halftime. The Jets sit atop the division and are looking great going into a Monday night game against Brett Favre and the Vikings. The scary thing about this team is the potential return of three pro bowl players in Revis, Pace, and Holmes. There is no other team in the league that is sitting at 3-1 (3-0 in the division) that is getting the kind of talent back that the Jets are. Long time to wait until the next game.

Game in Review: Jets v. Dolphins

2010-09-28T12:52:00.000-04:00

Jets- 31
Dolphins- 23

The Jets traveled into Miami on Sunday night and came out with a win against a good Dolphins team. Going into the game I was expecting a low scoring battle between two pretty good defenses. However, what we got was an offensive shootout with little defense on either side. Mark Sanchez looked great for his second straight game and the Jets defense looked shaky in their first full game without star cornerback Darrelle Revis. This was a key road win which puts the Jets on top of the division and gives them the leg up with wins over both division rivals.

Thumbs up:

Mark Sanchez- Sanchez showed up to play for the second straight week and he has now gone three games without an interception. Sanchez seems to be forming a pretty good connection with Dustin Keller and he connected with him for 98 yards in the first half alone. Sanchez seems to be much cooler under pressure and has avoided big mistakes.

LaDainian Tomlinson- Tomlinson continues to go out and look like the back that he was a few years ago. He finished this game with 88 all purpose yards and a touchdown and showed some great burst getting around the edge on a few runs. His enthusiasm is unmatched which is really incredible figuring how many years he has been in the league and the fact that he is already a hall of fame player.

Brad Smith- Brad Smith was great on kick returns and continuously set the Jets up in great field position. I have never been a huge Smith fan on kickoffs because he lacks the breakaway speed that sets apart good returners from great ones. However, if he can continue setting the Jets up with good field position that breakaway speed becomes less important.

Sione Pouha- Pouha seems to always make plays. He is no Kris Jenkins but he has become an anchor in the middle of the defense and the Jets should feel comfortable with him for the rest of the season.

Thumbs Down:

Kyle Wilson- I can't count how many times I yelled at the TV, "Turn around and find the ball," when it was throw in Wilson's direction. He seemed so focused on watching his man at times that it made it easy for Dolphins receivers to make plays. He needs to start turning to find the ball which will help him shut down opposing receivers and avoiding costly penalties.

Shonn Greene- Greene has been very underwhelming this year after most people figured he would start and get the majority of the carries. He has not run well so far and LT is clearly outplaying him. Greene still delivers punishing hits but he doesn't seem to be showing the burst that he had in last year's playoffs.

Penalties- I'm not sure who to put this one on specifically but this team will never win a Super Bowl with the amount of penalties that are being committed. The Slauson holding call erased a Mark Sanchez TD run and there were plenty of other penalties which could have cost the Jets the game. This has been a huge issue in the first few weeks and it's something that needs to be fixed.

Overview:

The Jets will look like a completely different team when they play the Dolphins next time. They are the only team in the league which can boast that they have 3 potential pro bowl players returning in the next few weeks. The infusion of Santonio Holmes, Calvin Pace, and Darrelle Revis into this lineup should make this team scary in a few weeks. If Sanchez keeps throwing the ball the way he is and LT continues to run with the passion, fire, and burst of a 25 year old we should be looking at good things in the near future. We travel up to play the Bills next week in what should be a win.

Jets v. Dolphins

2010-09-26T20:04:00.000-04:00

The Jets go down to Miami to take on the Dolphins on Sunday Night Football. The Jets need a win to avoid falling into a 2 game hole in the AFC East behind the Dolphins and Rex Ryan is looking for his first win against the Dolphins as the Jets coach. A lot of the talk this week has revolved around Braylon Edwards and his drunk driving arrest earlier in the week which will put him on the bench for the first quarter of tonight's game.

What to watch for...

It has been announced that the Jets will be without Edwards for the first quarter of the game. This shouldn't play too much of a factor on the game as the Jets will probably just keep the ball on the ground and play solid defense in the first quarter. Even without Edwards, Sanchez was good last week at finding Dustin Keller.

Rex Ryan is looking for his first ever win against the Dolphins after falling to two crushing losses last year. Rex will have a defensive gameplan drawn up which should confuse Chad Henne and an average Dolphins passing attack.

The key to this game on defense will be the Jets handling of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. If the Jets front line can stop the run game, as they have done all year, I don't see the Dolphins doing much on offense.

Who to watch for...

Shonn Greene and LT will have to control the run game in order to give Sanchez time to throw. Greene hasn't had his breakout game yet this year and hopefully today we can see the same guy we saw last year in the playoffs.

Antonio Cromartie has to play the same way he did in the second half of last game if the Jets hope to shut down Brandon Marshall. Cromartie has to avoid stupid penalties if the Jets want to win this game.

Game Overview:

I look for the Jets to come out in the first quarter establishing the run to open up the game for Mark Sanchez later. The defense has been rock solid so far and I don't see that changing tonight as long as the Jets can shut down the Dolphins running game.

Prediction:

Jets- 17

Dolphins-13

Game Overview: Jets v. Patriots

2010-09-19T20:42:00.000-04:00

Jets- 28
Pats- 14

Mark Sanchez and the Jets offense came alive in the second half today as the Jets defeated the Pats 28-14. Mark Sanchez and LT provided a huge spark in the second half as the Jets offense dominated the Patriots defense. The defense suffered a major injury (minor injury but major name) in the first half when Darrelle Revis came up lame on a touchdown pass to Randy Moss and had to leave the game with hamstring troubles. We will get more info on Revis in the coming days but my guess is that he will be held out of practice all week and will hopefully be able to start next week against Miami. However, even without Revis the Jets defense showed a lot of life in the second half. Cromartie took on Revis's role of covering Randy Moss and played a pretty good game. He collected his second interception and assisted in Pool's interception.

Thumbs Up:

Mark Sanchez: Mark Sanchez played one of the best games of his career today in finishing 21/30 for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns. Brian Schottenheimer opened up the playbook today and seemed to do everything he was afraid to do last week. The Jets allowed Sanchez to throw in running situations and got Braylon Edwards heavily involved right from the start. Sanchez seemed committed to throwing the ball downfield and it was a great thing to see.

LT: Tomlinson played a great game today and showed outstanding burst. Tomlinson runs hard on every play and is showing why he is considered one of the greatest running backs of all time. There are few times when he goes down at the first contact and showed great speed to get around the edge.

Brian Schottenheimer: The three thumbs up are all going to offensive people partly because of how bad the Jets offense was last week and how much they improved. Schotty expanded the playbook today and didn't back away from giving Sanchez a chance to throw the ball down the field. I am extremely excited to see what he can come up with when the Jets best WR Santonio Holmes gets on the field.

Thumbs Down:

Offensive line: I'm not sure who individually to put this on so I will just point out that the offensive line had a pretty horrible game in pass protection. Sanchez seemed to be moving around in the pocket a ton, especially in the first half. The pass protection needs to greatly improve or the Jets could be looking at an injury to Sanchez in the near future.

Game Overview:

Overall, I was extremely satisfied with the way that game turned out. The Patriots looked great last week against the Bengals (a pretty good team) and we managed to beat them by 14 points. The defense will not face many challenges greater than attempting to shut down that offense (especially without Revis) and responded by only giving up 14 points. The main concern for the last week, the offense, was a completely different animal from what we saw last week. Sanchez threw the ball great and Tomlinson looked like he did a few years ago showing some great burst and making people miss. Schotty opened up the playbook and called more plays where Sanchez looked downfield and also got back to throwing the slant routes that Sanchez is so good at. With the Dolphins game coming up next week this win was necessary and the Jets responded.

Game Preview: Jets v. Patriots

2010-09-19T15:54:00.000-04:00

The Patriots come to the Meadowlands today to take on the winless Jets. The matchup everyone will be focusing on this week is Randy Moss vs. Darrelle Revis. Revis called Moss a "slouch" after their first matchup last year where Revis shut down Moss. However, the most important matchup for the Jets defense is probably Welker against whoever the Jets put against him. Whether this be Cromartie or Wilson, somebody will have the all important job of shutting down Welker. The Jets need this win as the Dolphins are 2 minutes away from a win against the Vikings and the Patriots already won last week. A loss in this game would put the Jets 2 games behind both the Patriots and the Dolphins which is not the way you want to start the season

What to watch for....

The Jets crowd was pumped up last year for the first meeting between the Jets and Patriots and this was a major factor in helping the Jets take down the Pats. Ryan is looking for the stadium to be rocking today which could help to throw off Brady's passing attack which was spot on last week.
Revis v. Moss is always a fun battle to watch. Revis will have the opportunity to show once again that he is the best cornerback in the NFL as he takes on one of the NFL's best receivers in Randy Moss. There has been no shortage of words between these two as they prepare to do battle today.

Who to watch for...

Antonio Cromartie was picked on last week by Joe Flacco and the Ravens and I would not be surprised to see something similar this week. Brady knows how to take advantage of defenses and will be ready to pick on Cromartie. The Jets will be sending tons of blitzes at Brady and Cromartie cannot commit the number of penalties that he did last week.
Mark Sanchez and Schotty both have to improve their games on offense this week. Schotty needs to vary the playcalling and give Sanchez a chance to throw the ball downfield. Sanchez needs to look past his check downs and take some chances down the field to open up the running game.
Shonn Greene is the Jets starting RB and needs to start playing like it. Greene can't put he ball on the ground and needs to have a good game if the Jets hope to move the ball down the field.

Game Overview:

The Jets have a chance to take down the Patriots this week and with the Dolphins and Patriots looking to move to 2-0 they need to capitalize. Most of the attention will be paid to Mark Sanchez on offense but if the Jets can get the ball moving on the ground they should be able to win this game. Greene needs to punish them early and Schotty needs to make some playcalls that allow Sanchez throw the ball down the field.

Prediction:

Patriots- 17

Jets- 10

Losing Jenkins

2010-09-15T15:46:00.000-04:00

Sad, but expected, news came out of Jets camp last night as we learned that the Jets have lost DT Kris Jenkins to a torn ACL in his left knee. This news is devastating to Jenkins future and my guess is that he will probably retire rather than undergo another round of surgery and intense recovery. Jenkins is an unbelievable player when healthy and fought back hard to get back to the point where he was healthy enough to play. It is sad that his career ends with this result but he should be regarded as one of the best defensive lineman of this generation. Although he wasn't healthy with the Jets for very long, he was a great team player and leader.

To replace Jenkins the Jets have signed DT Howard Green. Green played 12 games for the Jets last year and will step into the backup role behind Sione Pouha. The Jets were thin at defensive line after losing Jenkins so this was a necessary signing before facing the Patriots. There were a few other moves yesterday as the Jets released fan favorite Danny Woodhead and picked up WR David Clowney. Clowney gives the Jets another receiver option (we were down to 3). Actually throwing the ball downfield would seem to be the logical step before signing more WR but the Jets don't seem to realize that. They probably felt that Woodhead was not going to see the field and he was simply not the same caliber receiver as Clowney. My guess is that we will see Woodhead around here some more sometime in the future.

An unsung hero of Monday night was OLB Bryan Thomas. Thomas recorded 9 tackles and 1.5 sacks and has really come into his own in this defense. Thomas was a first round draft pick a number of years ago and has widely been viewed as a disappointment. However, over the last few years Thomas has grown into a very good run stopping linebacker and is a pretty good pass rusher. With the continuing saga of Vernon Gholston playing out around the Jets linebacker unit it is nice to see a former "bust" succeed.

Until tomorrow...

A Day After

2010-09-14T12:27:00.000-04:00

I've gone over this loss in my head a bunch of times and it surprises me each time how close we were to winning that game. Off the top of my head I can name 5 moments that, had they gone differently, would have resulted in a Jets win.

1.) The Braylon Edwards illegal shift penalty on Dustin Keller's catch at the 3 yard line. The Jets were up 3-0 and driving down the field when Mark Sanchez hit Keller on a route down the middle of the field that would have put the Jets at the 3 yard line with a first down. Instead, Braylon gets called for an illegal shift and we get pushed back 5 yards and the play is called back.

2.) The Braylon Edwards running into the kicker call. This call was HUGE and allowed the Ravens to get their only touchdown of the game. If Edwards doesn't run into the kicker (I can hardly blame him because of how athletic the play was) the Ravens don't go on to score that touchdown.

3.) The Kyle Wilson pass interference call in the end zone. The Ravens were driving at the end of the half (after the Edwards penalty) and this call put them on the 1 yard line with under a minute to go. I am fairly confident they would not have scored if Wilson doesn't commit this penalty.

4.) Shonn Greene's fumble after Cromartie's interception was a huge turning point in this game. The interception put the Jets on the Ravens 30 yard line with a 6-0 lead and could have led to a game-cementing drive. However, on the first play from scrimmage Greene fumbles and this leads to the Ravens scoring drive.

5.) The Dustin Keller 4th down play at the end of the game didn't cost us the game but it was such a boneheaded play that it deserves a mention. Keller has to make sure to get the first down in that situation and he clearly had a chance to turn up the field and at least get an extra yard.

Overall, the more I think about the game, the more infuriating it becomes. I only mentioned this in passing yesterday but we are all awaiting news of Kris Jenkins injury and I am not expecting good news. Jenkins had surgery on that knee last year and we should know more tomorrow after an MRI. Jenkins is one of the my favorite players and really seemed to be pumped for this year so I am hoping it is just a sprain.

Like I said yesterday the playcalling on offense needs to change. For some reason we did not see any of the slants which were Sanchez's saving grace in last year's postseason. Nor did we see any screen passes to beat the Ravens blitz. The offensive line needs to step up their game and Slauson needs to get over his first year starting troubles very quickly. Until tomorrow...

Ravens 10 Jets 9: Game Overview

2010-09-13T23:18:00.000-04:00

Ravens- 10

Jets- 9

Jets: 0-1

The Jets came into this game with an offense that was a work in progress. New pieces were added in LaDainian Tomlinson and Santonio Holmes (out until Week 5) and Mark Sanchez was supposed to be a much improved quarterback than what we saw last season. What we saw tonight mirrors much of what we saw last season. Brian Schottenheimer called an EXTREMELY conservative offense while Mark Sanchez didn't even look capable of thinking about throwing the ball down the field. It is had to pick out which party is more at fault in this game. What can be said is that the Jets offense looked as bad tonight as I have ever seen it. The defense showed up to play tonight and played great with the exceptions of Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson. Wilson was victimized in his first NFL game and even suffered a fumble (recovered by the Jets) on a punt return. Cromartie was targeted all game and committed several very costly penalties. His only positive in this game was a pretty good interception and return. Overall, I was very happy with the play of the offense and absolutely disgusted with the play of the defense.

Thumbs Up:

Jim Leonhard provided a spark on special teams with a pretty good punt return in the first half and another semi good one in the second half. With a horrible Jets offense any kind of spark was needed and Leonhard at least tried to provide that.
Bryan Thomas finished the game with 1.5 sacks and really played great on defense. Along with the other linebackers the Jets held the Ravens to a minuscule amount of yards per carry and did a great job at shutting down the Ravens. The only touchdown they gave up was the result of a running into the kicker penalty by Braylon Edwards.
Steve Weatherford punted great tonight and twice pinned the Ravens inside the 2 yard line. It is weird to praise a punter in my thumbs up section but he is the only non-defensive player that deserved this.

Thumbs Down:

Brian Schottenheimer called an absolutely horrible offense tonight. He was incapable of taking any chances against a suspect Ravens secondary on first downs and the offense he did call seemed overly complicated. Mark Sanchez seems to think he is Peyton Manning with all the line calls. I don't know what has to happen but this seems to be the story with Schottenheimer every single year.
Mark Sanchez played a terrible game. He never seemed to look downfield and every play was either a check down, a sack, or a Sanchez run. Unless this offense opens up and the ball gets thrown downfield there is no chance for anything to be successful.
Dustin Keller needs to get the extra yard on that 4th down play. He had plenty of time to quickly turn up field and at least reach the ball over the first down line. I don't have much more to say about his play but he needs to get that done.
Penalties, Penalties, Penalties. Was there any third and long tonight where the Jets didn't commit a penalty. Even with the horrid offense the Jets could have won this game if they had cut out two penalties. First is the Braylon Edwards running into the kicker and shortly after was the Kyle Wilson pass interference. This team needs a dose of discipline.

Notes: Kris Jenkins went out in the first quarter with an injury to the same knee that knocked him out all of last year and I don't expect the news to be good.

Game Thoughts:

If the Jets offense doesn't come alive in the coming weeks we are going to suffer through a lot of these games this year. The defense is superb and will finish top 3 in the league if everyone manages to stay healthy. However, for the Jets to win this tough division they need to get some offense going. I realize that the Ravens have a very, very good defense so I am willing to give the offense a break for this week. However, in the coming weeks I need to see something more before I proclaim this team to be as good as they talk

Game Preview: Jets v. Ravens

2010-09-13T15:17:00.000-04:00

After a busy offseason and months of waiting opening day is upon us. The Jets will host the Ravens at 7 PM tonight on Monday Night Football as they open one of the most anticipated seasons in recent memory. The Jets didn't get lulled into a false sense of security after a good playoff run last year and instead went out and made some moves which should greatly improve the team. The additions of LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Cromartie, and Jason Taylor should all play a huge factor in tonight's game against a very good team.

What to watch for...

The Jets prolific running attack will be facing one of the best defensive front sevens in the league tonight. The Jets led the league in rushing last year and figure to be near the top this year. The Ravens front 7 is anchored by DT Haloti Ngata and MLB Ray Lewis and should be a formidable defense against the Jets running game. The Jets will be cautious in this one early and I could see a very disappointing offensive first half running the football.

The Jets offensive line play will greatly depend on the play and maturity of newcomer Matt Slauson. The Jets will be in trouble if Slauson's suspect pass protection forces Sanchez to hurry too many of his throws. Another worry is the play of RT Damian Woody. Reports have said that Woody looks a step slower this season and may not be playing up to the same form he did last season.
The Jets defense finished #1 in the league last year and made several key additions this offseason. CB's Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson will join Darrelle Revis in a secondary which hopes to be even better this season. Jason Taylor will start at OLB for Bart Scott and will be given the opportunity to show that he can regain some of his old form.

Who to watch for....

Darrelle Revis: Normally Revis is somebody that will rarely get mentioned in this part of the preview as somebody to watch for because he is so good and consistent. However, with only a week of practice under his belt and coming off a prolonged holdout Revis may be tested early by Joe Flacco and Anquan Boldin. Revis will have to prove early that he can duplicated last year's form and force the Ravens to throw away from Boldin and towards Cromartie's side.
Mark Sanchez: The Jets worked all offseason to load up the weapons around Sanchez to give him a better chance to succeed in the passing game. Sanchez cannot make decisions that cost the Jets the game.
Shonn Greene: If Greene can get going early it will make life much easier on Mark Sanchez and the rest of the Jets offense. The offense needs to control the clock and wear down the Ravens front 7 in the first half to set up scoring opportunities against a tired Ravens defense in the second half.

Game Overview:

The Jets come into this season with a target on their backs and with extremely high expectations. Rex Ryan has created a new culture for the Jets and that should be evident tonight. The Jets and Ravens are two of the toughest teams in the league and both should be looking to run it down each other's throats. I see this as an extremely even, low scoring game which the Jets should win simply because they are home.

Prediction:

Jets: 13
Ravens: 10

Jets v. Giants Reaction

2010-08-16T21:00:00.001-04:00

Analysis of the Starters:

Mark Sanchez:

First Drive:

Bad decision on a throw to LT over the middle. He missed the fact that the Giants were backing into a zone and LT was double covered. Interception that turned into a touchdown for the Giants.

Second Drive:

Sanchez looked composed during the second drive and seemed to check down most of the time. He targeted Keller a ton and didn't take many chances down the field.
Ended up getting a touchdown pass when the Giants left Brad Smith wide open on the outside at the goal line.

Third Drive:

Put in a difficult position after the Robert Turner hold and wasn't able to do much with the drive.
Put a pretty good pass just out of the reach of Brad Smith in the end zone.

Fourth Drive:

Sanchez opens up with a few good throws to Cotchery and Edwards as he finally targets some wide receivers.
Offense is opening up on this drive as Sanchez is beign asked to throw more.

Playing against the Giants second team defense.

LT:

Tomlinson came in mostly on passing situations.
He showed some great burst getting away from the linebacker on a big third and long catch which put the Jets into the red zone.
On the third drive Tomlinson rips off a 15 yard touchdown run (called back because of holding).

Showed great burst on the run.

Shonne Greene:

As usual, Greene ran really hard and seems to have improved vision from last year. He hit the hole a few times instead of simply trying to run through the opposition.

Dustin Keller:

Keller ran a ton of routes between 5 and 10 yards and seemed to get great separation every time.
Sanchez targets him a lot which isn't overly surprising.

Nick Folk:

36 yard field goal in the first quarter was right on.
Another short field goal for Folk

Defense:

Jets came out on the first drive with a lot of penetration on the early plays and then a big blitz on third and long which confused Eli Manning.
The second drive was more of the same after stuffing two straight runs and then sending the house at Eli Manning and forcing another bad throw.
The defense gave up points on the third drive but it was in part to a completely blown holding call on Shaun Ellis.
Huge hit on Manning leaves him gushing blood. Bart Scott looks like he's on a mission with the way he's getting to the quarterback in this game.

Antonio Cromartie:

Had a few interceptions slip through his hands and he looked great in man to man.

Special Teams:

Eric Smith with a great blocked punt.

That's pretty much enough analysis of the starters for me. I'm sure somebody will catch my eye in the second half who I can add onto this post.

Preseason Game # 1: Jets v. Giants

2010-08-16T11:39:00.000-04:00

The football season unofficially starts tonight for the Jets as they will open the new season and stadium with a game against the cross town rival Giants. The outcome of the game doesn't matter much but here are a few things I am looking for in this game:

According to Rex Ryan the starters will be playing at least a full quarter. This should give us time to see Mark Sanchez and the new look offense on at least two drives. Sanchez hasn't had the best preseason but now has the weapons around him to excel. We will get a real time look at how Sanchez's knee looks after offseason surgery.
Tomlinson has been taking the majority of snaps with the first team offense during training camp so it looks like he will be out there with the starters at the beginning of the game. I don't see this meaning much as I expect Shonn Greene to really carry the load for us this year.
Matt Slauson is currently winning the left guard battle with Vladamir Ducasse and should get the start tonight. Rex Ryan has even gone as far as to say that Slauson could be the long term solution at the position. This is our first look to see if he is right.
The defense will be without Darelle Revis as he continues his hold out. This will push Kyle Wilson up the depth chart and will give us an opportunity to see him play against the Giants first team wide receivers. With the Revis situation looking grim it will be good to see if the combination of Cromartie and Wilson can get the job done.
Kris Jenkins will be back anchoring the middle of the defense (although I don't expect him to be in there for many plays). This will be a welcome site to Jets fans who thought the season was over last year when he went down to injury.
Vernon Gholston has had a good training camp adjusting to his new position and he will look to continue that in tonight's game. This season is the last one for him to prove that he can be a good, productive football player before the Jets cut ties so he has to make the most of every opportunity.

Seeing the Jets come out on the field for the first time this season tonight will be exciting even though it is a preseason game.

Position by Position Overview: Offensive Line

2010-08-06T01:53:00.000-04:00

The Jets return an offensive line that was among the NFL's best last season and should only improve this season. The biggest move on the line was the release of Alan Faneca. Faneca was the weak member of the line last year and this year he will be replaced by either second round pick Vladamir Ducasse or second year player Matt Slauson. A few days into training camp it looks like Matt Slauson has a slight edge but this will remain a hot topic until the season starts.

Overall, there isn't a huge need to go over the individual positions on the line. Nick Mangold and D'Brickashaw Ferguson are the anchors of the line and are among the best at their respective positions. Ferguson just got a contract that will keep him here for many years to come and I'm sure Mangold's contract will come soon.

Brandon Moore is one of the most underrated lineman in the league and is a definite run blocking presence. Damian Woody joins Moore on the right side of the line and should be a solid contributer to that side of the line.

A few interesting things to note about the offensive line. The Jets had the same 5 starters for every game last year and we hope this can continue. Mangold is having contract troubles (big surprise) and is hoping to get a new contract. We will see how this plays out.

Revis Contract Situation

2010-08-04T16:45:00.000-04:00

With the immense amount of talent on the Jets practice field right now people still can't help but question when the best player might show up. Darelle Revis is staging a hold out after the Jets refused to renegotiate his current contract and make him the highest paid corner in the league. On day three of training camp it doesn't appear that the Jets and Revis are any closer to signing a deal. Rumors from the Revis camp say that the Jets offers are way off from where he wants them to be while the Jets front office is dealing with the problem of an uncertain CBA next year which is making it extremely difficult to give a lucrative, long term extension.

My personal opinion: Revis shouldn't be at camp at his current contract. Normally, I would side with the team in saying that if a guy is under contract he should be participating. However, the Leon Washington situation last year changed all of that for me. Washington entered the season with a contract on the table that would have payed him around 5 million a year. He turned this down and went into the season unprotected and came out with a broken leg. the team didn't show any loyalty to Washington (nor did they have a responsibility to) when they sent him to Seattle on draft day. Revis looks at this situation and can see a similar thing happening to him. If a player gets injured and the team has a way to get out of paying them they have every right to do that. Why should Revis show up to camp with a small contract and no guarantees that he wouldn't be sent right along as Washington was if he suffers a bad injury. Revis proved last year that he was the best cornerback in the league and an integral part of the best defense in the NFL. He deserves to be paid and he more importantly he deserves to have his future guaranteed. The only point that I am against Revis on is his insistence that he is the highest paid corner in the NFL. This usually would not be a major problem. The best player at a position deserves to be the highest paid. However, Nnamdi Asomugha's contract in Oakland is absurd and should not set the benchmark for any future contracts. Revis should accept a deal in the 12-13 million dollar a season range and be happy with that. I hope we see him out on the field soon but until the Jets start submitting serious contract offers I do not blame him for staying home.

Position by Position Overview: Wide Reveivers

2010-08-04T16:31:00.000-04:00

The Jets come into the 2010 season stacked at the wide receiver position after the addition of Santonio Holmes from the Steelers. The trio of Holmes, Edwards, and Cotchery gives Mark Sanchez enough weapons to excel in the passing game.

1. Edwards will be the #1 receiver and he is one of the most talented players on a talent laden Jets team. He has a history of drops but I think he will find some rhythm with Sanchez this year and show everybody what he can really do. He is playing for a contract as the Jets will probably only be able to keep him or Holmes after this season. Edwards has the edge now and I wouldn't be surprised if he responds with a monster season.

2. Cotchery is a long tenured Jets who is one of the best possession receivers in the AFC. He consistently puts up good numbers and was Sanchez's favorite target last year. The acquisition of Holmes means that Cotchery will have to play the slot position some of the time and I think this is an area where he can excel. Holmes and Edwards will provide the necessary deep threat to open up opportunities for Cotchery over the middle.

3. Holmes is suspended the first four games of the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy but he should be able to step in Week 5 and make an immediate impact on the passing game. Holmes is super athletic and has big game experience (Super Bowl MVP). Holmes has dedicated himself this offseason to learning all three receiver positions and being able to mix up him and Cotchery in the slot and outside positions should provide a dynamic that few offenses have.

4. Laveranues Coles was signed last week to take over for Holmes the first four weeks while he is suspended. If Coles can work himself into good shape and prove himself there is no reason he can't stick around after Week 4. To round out the receiving core, David Clowney, is looking to move up a stacked depth chart. Clowney has long been a fan favorite because of his speed and ability to stretch the field but he has never seemed to "get" it. Could this be the year that he does? Probably not.

Position by Position Overview: Running Back

2010-07-21T13:36:00.000-04:00

1. Shonn Greene
2. LaDainian Tomlinson
3. Joe McKnight

1. Shonne Greene

Greene enters the season as the Jets #1 running back and the replacement for last years star Thomas Jones. Many people are looking at it as a mistake that the Jets released Thomas Jones after the season but Greene proved in the playoffs that he is more than capable of carrying this team. As I said repeatedly last season Greene runs harder than any running back I have seen since Jerome Bettis and a young Jamal Lewis. His running style leads to injuries and I hope that will not be a problem this year. Despite the worries about the injuries I think Green will have a relatively injury free season. I see 1,200 yards and 8 TDs for Greene this year.

2. LaDainian Tomlinson

Tomlinson enters this season as the backup to Shonne Greene and should play a prominent role out of the backfield. The Jets are hoping that Tomlinson can regain some of his previous form and serve as a good backup to Greene. He should get a lot of touches around the goal line and should catch passes out of the backfield. I see about 500 yards and 8 TD's for Tomlinson this year.

3. Joe McKnight

The only thing we have really heard about McKnight this offseason is that he threw up in his first practice. McKnight probably will not see the field much but he will be the Jets answer for the trade of Leon Washington. They are hoping McKnight can develop into an explosive change of pace runner who can grow into the number 2 role behind Greene.

Position by Position Overview: Quarterback

2010-07-21T13:03:00.000-04:00

Depth Chart:
1. Mark Sanchez
2. Mark Brunell*
3. Eric Ainge

Missing Out:
Kevin O'Connell
Kellen Clemens

1. Mark Sanchez

Mark Sanchez comes into the season leading a revamped passing attack which should feature more prominently in the Jets offense this year. With the additions of Santonio Holmes and a full offseason of working with receivers Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery I expect better things from Sanchez this year. Last season Sanchez was responsible for many early season losses and really only came alive in the playoffs. Sanchez should be able to replicate the playoff success he enjoyed last year.

2. Mark Brunell

Brunell hasn't been signed as of yet but he should be a veteran presence who can mentor Mark Sanchez and help guide him through this season. At this point in his career Brunell doesn't have much to offer on the field but he cannot do much worse than Kellen Clemens has done as a backup. More comments to come during training camp after he actually signs.

3. Eric Ainge

I believe that Eric Ainge will be the third quarterback on this team beating out Kevin O'Connell. He shouldn't see much playing time this year and if he does we are in serious trouble.

Projected Depth Chart

2010-06-23T17:46:00.000-04:00

QB: Mark Sanchez, Mark Brunell*, Eric Ainge

RB: Shonn Greene, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe McKnight, Danny Woodhead

FB: Tony Richardson, John Conner

WR: Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, Santonio Holmes, Brad Smith, David Clowney

TE: Dustin Keller, Ben Hartsock

T: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Damien Woody, Wayne Hunter, Robert Turner

G: Vladamir Ducasse, Matt Slauson, Brandon Moore

C: Nick Mangold

DE: Shaun Ellis, Matt Devito, Vernon Gholston, Ropati Pitoitua, Marques Douglas

DT: Kris Jenkins, Sione Pouha, Matt Kroul

OLB: Calvin Pace, Bryan Thomas, Jason Taylor, Jamaal Westerman

MLB: David Harris, Bart Scott, Kenwin Cummings, Lance Laury

CB: Darelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Kyle Wilson, Dwight Lowery, Drew Coleman, Marquis Cole

S: Jim Leonhard, Brodney Pool, Eric Smith, James Ihedigbo

K: Nick Folk

P: Steve Weatherford

LS: Tanner Purdum

The Start of the 2010/2011 Season

2010-06-23T17:25:00.000-04:00

We enter year two of this blog with the Jets in a completely different situation than they found themselves in last year. Last year at this time Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan dominated New York headlines as the media followed Mark's every move while picking up great quotes from new Head Coach Rex Ryan. The run last year was as special and amazing as any I have ever seen and I can't wait to see how the Jets can improve on last year and make this season the one where we break through with a Super Bowl berth. The Jets have gotten a lot of media attention this off season with the signings of super athletic cornerback Antonio Cromartie and former great running back LaDainian Tomlinson. The signing of Cromartie should improve the unit (minus Darelle Revis) that was carved up by Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship game last year. Pairing Cromartie with Revis gives the Jets the best cornerback tandem in the league and should allow Rex Ryan to call even more blitzes than he did last year.

The Jets were handed a gift in the first round this year when Kyle Wilson, arguably the best corner in the draft, fell to their position at pick 29. Wilson has impressed in OTA's and minicamp and has solidified himself as the 3rd corner behind Revis and Cromartie. If Wilson can play up to his potential there is no question that the Jets should be near impossible to pass against.

With all the new faces around the locker room this year there were bound to be players that were left out. Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, Alan Faneca, and Jay Feely are among those who played significant roles last year (not as much for Washington) and will be sorely missed this season. The release of Faneca was something I supported as he was sub par last year and I thought it was time for the Jets to move on. The drafting of Vladamir Ducasse sets up a position battle for LG between him and Matt Slauson. Whoever wins this battle will be playing between two pro bowl caliber players and will hopefully fit seamlessly into one of the best offensive lines in the league.

The swap of Thomas Jones for LaDainian Tomlinson is one that has gotten way too much media coverage this offseason. Tomlinson WAS NOT brought in to replace Jones. Tomlinson was brought in to backup second year running back Shonn Greene. Greene's running in the playoffs last year showed the Jets what he can do and if he stays healthy I see great things from him this year. Tomlinson should be able to fill the role of the complementary back and will provide a good change of pace from the backfield.

The Jets relied heavily on the running attack last year and will be looking to open up the offense a bit more this year with Mark Sanchez entering his second year and with the addition of Santonio Holmes to an already good Jets receiver core. This addition (despite the fact that he is suspended for the first 4 games) gives the Jets another great weapon on offense. Between Braylon Edward's big play ability, the consistency of Jerricho Cotchery, and the big game experience of Santonio Holmes I believe that the Jets now have a receiving core which could rival any in the league. For the Jets to fulfill the preseason expectations this year Mark Sanchez will need to progress as a starter and show that he is the quarterback we saw lead us to the AFC Championship and not the one who lost us multiple games during the regular season. Sanchez's maturity will be a interesting subplot to watch as the season unfolds.

When last season opened up I had no idea what to expect from a team with a new head coach, new quarterback, and completely new philosophy. In contrast, my hopes are higher this season then they have ever been and I expect great things from a team that was greatly improved in the offseason.

Some Offseason Thoughts

2010-06-11T03:44:00.000-04:00

It has been a long time since I have had the chance to post but here's a little summary of my thoughts of what is going on around Jets football.

1.) I am extremely pleased that Mark Sanchez is back on the practice field and fully participating in 11 v. 11's. Sanchez needs this off-season to get comfortable with new receiver Santonio Holmes as well as with the guys who were around last year.

2.) The Revis contract situation is something that has gotten a ton of attention in the media recently. The other day Revis skipped a voluntary minicamp on the day that Hark Knocks was filming promos for the upcoming show. Revis is looking to become the highest paid corner in the league and I can't say I blame him. The problem with this is that the current highest contract (belonging to Nnamdi Asomugha (sp?)) is absurd compared to the people behind him. Asomugha has a contract averaging around 16 million per season and Revis wants to earn above this. There have been talks of a training camp holdout but I do not see this being the case. Tennanbaum is slowly submitting offers to the Revis camp and I would bet that a deal is signed sometime before the middle of training camp. Even if these negotiations run into camp I expect to see Revis there for the majority.

3.) The rest of the contracts also need to be taken care of. Nick Mangold needs to have his contract addressed shortly after (or at the same time) as Revis. Mangold is part of the "core 4" (Mangold, Revis, Harris, Ferguson) and needs to be signed soon.

4.) Vernon Gholston is making the switch to defensive end with the Jets being very thin in this area. This really isn't news until Gholston gets off his ass and decides to become a real football player. However, it is worth noting that you will have to watch Gholston screw up this season from a three point stance.

5.) Mark Brunell will be a Jet come the end of July. I guess it is a good thing that we are getting a proven NFL player to back up Sanchez rather than Clemens. Clemens was a failure for the Jets and I have never been a big fan. He will catch on somewhere as a 3rd QB and hopefully someday he gets a chance to start. Thankfully, it won't be for us.

6.) Hard Knocks should provide an interesting look into Jets camp this August. My lack of HBO will make watching this show interesting but I look forward to see the interactions between the many different personalities in Jets camp.

7.) I find it weird that Tomlinson got a Jets tattoo. It's great and all that he's happy to be a Jet but I wonder if he realizes that he's probably one and done.

8.) The expectations are higher this season than any I can remember as a Jets fan (except for maybe 1998 but I was too young to notice then). How the Jets handle these expectations will go a long way in determining the success of this season.

April Moves: Draft and Others

2010-04-25T09:15:00.000-04:00

The Jets have been active and have made some huge moves during the draft. I will start with the draft:

First Round: Kyle Wilson: CB

The Jets drafted Kyle Wilson with the 29th pick of the 1st round. Apparently the Jets did not expect any of the top cornerback prospects to be available with this pick and they were absolutely thrilled when Wilson fell so far. Wilson should be able to fill in right away as the 3rd cornerback and could serve as a replacement to Antonio Cromartie if the Jets are unable to resign him after this year. Rex Ryan loves cornerbacks and this move should free up the Jets to blitz even more than they did last year.

Second Round: Vladimir Ducasse: OL

Vladamir Ducasse is a monstrous offensive line prospect who should take over the starting job right away for the Jets. His measurables are 6'5 332 pounds and he should fill in at guard. The Jets were ready to take him late in the first round before Wilson fell. This move prompted the Jets to release Alan Faneca.

Fourth Round: Joe McKnight: RB

McKnight was drafted by the Jets in the fourth round to be the replacement to Leon Washington as the 3rd running back. McKnight is a good change of pace back with good speed and elusiveness. He may not be Leon Washington but he should be able to contribute right away.

Fifth Round: John Conner: FB

Conner was drafted by the Jets to be the eventual replacement to Tony Richardson. Conner will be able to contribute on special teams right away and is a favorite of Rex Ryan.

Released/Traded Players:

Alan Faneca: The Jets said goodbye to Alan Faneca when they drafted Vladimir Ducasse in the second round. Faneca was horrible in pass protection this year and the Jets hope that Ducasse can fill in and do the same kind of job. The Jets will miss Faneca's leadership and veteran presence up front but his salary was far too high to keep for this year.

Leon Washington: Washington was traded shortly after the Jets drafted Joe McKnight in the fourth round. He was traded for a 5th round pick where the Jets drafted John Conner. Washington has been my favorite player for years and I was in shock when I heard he was traded even though I had been expecting it. The Jets did not get the value that I thought they could get for a player with Washington's abilities and therefore there must be some legitimate concern about whether he can return successfully from his horrible injury last year. I hope Leon fully recovers and becomes a great player in Seattle.

Overall, I think the Jets made some necessary and unnecessary moves yesterday. The release of Alan Faneca and the plan to replace him with Vladimir Ducasse is a good one and should give the Jets a solid left side of the line for years to come. However, the trade of Leon Washington for a 5th round pick was hard to stomach as Washington has been a fan favorite for years.

I don't like draft grades but I will give the draft a solid B.

Jets Sign Tomlinson

2010-03-14T18:50:00.000-04:00

The Jets have agreed to a two year deal with Ladainian Tomlinson. This deal will bring in one of the best running backs in recent history to be the 3rd option on the Jets roster. Tomlinson should excel in the role of getting 5-10 touches a game behind the best offensive line in football. Although he has lacked production in recent years, behind this Jets offensive line and with a reduced role I believe that he will get his YPC average up over 4 and be a great boost to an already good Jets running game. I am excited and overjoyed by this move as it provides an insurance policy if Leon Washington is unable to return to his old form after the broken leg. Great signing by the Jets.

Scouts Inc. is a Joke: Kerry Rhodes

2010-03-07T10:53:00.000-05:00

So, I'm on ESPN.com today on the AFC East blog looking at their analysis of the Kerry Rhodes trade to Arizona. While there I run across this Scouts Inc. profile on Rhodes that I would like to comment on:
"Rhodes has size, athletic skills and functional play strength. He has deceptive speed and physical toughness. He shows good speed and quickness as a blitzer. He has been a very physical and productive player coming off the edge in zone dogs. He has good closing speed underneath. He takes good angles when supporting the run but can be inconsistent in this phase of the game."

Let me do a little analysis of this critique on Rhodes. Rhodes was consistently half a second late on every single play and usually ended up either throwing his body over a pile or standing around watching. This "deceptive speed" is bullshit and doesn't actually exist. The only time he shows any speed is when he is rushing around the edge and this has resulted in 3 sacks in 3 years. This last year he registered 0 sacks while playing in a Rex Ryan defensive system that sends more blitzers than anybody in the league. As far as "good speed and quickness as a blitzer", I can't really see how this is actually helping him out if he is getting absolutely not sacks.

They then make the claim that Rhodes is "very physical". Do they know the reason that Rex Ryan benched him midway through the season and then proceeded to run him out of New York. He was benched because he was soft on tackling Wes Welker in one of the Patriots games earlier in the season. This was a trend that we had to deal with all season. Rhodes consistently misses tackles and doesn't show any of this toughness that Scounts Inc. claims he has. As far as taking "good angles to support the run", it seems to me that this is some bullshit that can be said to appease any fan because there really is no argument against it. I don't have the access to the tapes of all of Kerry Rhodes games to analyze whether he really does take these good angles. What I do know is that he will consistently miss the tackles after taking these good angles.

I am not a huge Rhodes fan anymore but I do not hate him like the majority of fans. However, I will never take anything Scouts Inc. says seriously after this joke of an analysis. They clearly have not watched enough footage on him and are basing this review off a season that was 3 years ago. If you can't pain an accurate picture, don't even try.

Kerry Rhodes Traded

2010-03-06T21:49:00.000-05:00

The Jets have traded Kerry Rhodes to Arizona for a 4th round pick this year and a 7th in 2011. My first reaction to this news was that I am not very happy that this trade was made. Rhodes is a great talent who never seemed to be comfortable in the Rex Ryan defense. The compensation doesn't seem to be enough for a player who is going to step right in and start. This should open up the possibility of the Jets drafting Myron Rolle in the 3rd or so round or picking up a free agent safety like OJ Atogwe. I would be a huge fan of picking up Atogwe but I am not sure how the final four restriction rules will play into this. I am a bit concerned about giving up a starter on defense for unproven picks but Rhodes made too many enemies in New York and it was time for him to go.

Offseason News

2010-03-05T12:37:00.000-05:00

As the beginning of March passes there are two HUGE moves that the Jets have made in recent weeks. I will start with the move that happened today as the Jets acquired Antonio Cromartie from the Chargers for a conditional third round draft pick which could turn into a second based on playing time next year. This trade will give the Jets the best pair of defensive backs in the NFL. Cromartie has come under fire the past few years as he has not produced like he did in his all-pro year 2 years ago. However, playing opposite of Darrelle Revis I can see Cromartie getting many opportunities to become a game changer. Quarterbacks cannot complete passes to Revis's side and Cromartie has the explosiveness to take advantage of any qb that targets him. I expect great things about the Jets secondary come next season.

The second big move of the offseason is the release of Thomas Jones. I am a huge Jones supporter and he put in some very, very good years with the Jets. He was extremely under appreciated by the majority of Jets fans. He was consistent, stayed healthy, and put up a few huge seasons. However, the Jets have decided to move on in the running game with Shonn Greene and Leon Washington both coming into next season healthy. It is a move that I think had to be made with the way Greene ran in the playoffs. There is some risk involved with Greene seeming a little injury prone and Washington coming off a horrible injury but the Jets should sign a veteran #3 back as an insurance policy. Thank you Thomas Jones for what you brought to this team in the past few years and I hope he has another few good years in him for somebody.

Season in Review: Defense and Special Teams

2010-03-02T10:50:00.000-05:00

Defensive MVP: Darrelle Revis

Defensive Line:

Shaun Ellis had another good season anchoring the defensive line. He finished with 53 tackles and 6.5 sacks which are pretty good numbers for a defensive end in the 3-4. The longest tenured Jet should be returning next year in the same role.

Season Grade: B+

Sione Pouha played great this season filling in when Kris Jenkins went down with an injury. Many thought the Jets defense would suffer greatly without last seasons defensive MVP but Pouha was able to step in and play great.

Season Grade: A-

Marques Douglas was serviceable at the defensive end position this year and I expect that we will see him back next year in the same role.

Season Grade: B

Linebackers:

Calvin Pace- A-

Vernon Gholston- F

David Harris- A

Bryan Thomas- B

Bart Scott- B+

Defensive Backs:

Darrelle Revis- A+

Lito Sheppard- C+

Dwight Lowery- B

Donald Strickland- C

Kerry Rhodes- C

Jim Leonard- A-

Eric Smith- B+

Special Teams:

Jay Feely- A

Steve Weatherford- C

Brad Smith/Leon Washington Returning Kicks- B-

Coaching:

Rex Ryan- A

Brian Schottenheimer- C+

Mike Pettine- A

Mike Westhoff- B+

Season in Review: Offense

2010-01-27T09:11:00.000-05:00

Offensive MVP: Thomas Jones

Quarterback:

Mark Sanchez had the kind of season that is normally expected out of a rookie quarterback. He started out extremely hot in the first 3 games and led the team to a 3-0 record. However, this fast start may have caused Brian Schottenheimer and Rex Ryan to open up the offensive playbook a little too much which resulted in a tough middle of the season. However, Sanchez matured towards the end of the season and realized that his role on the team was to make sure the team didn't lose.

The biggest turning point of the season for Mark Sanchez may have been when Rex Ryan delved into the offense. He simplified the playbook and started limiting Sanchez's throws to 15-20 a game. Once this happened Sanchez became much more efficient and was a major factor in leading the Jets to the playoffs. Sanchez's play in the playoffs was a major reason that the Jets were able to advance. He played arguably his two best games of the season against the Bengals and Chargers in the playoffs.

Overall, this season was a growing experience for Sanchez. He matured greatly as the season progressed and I am almost 100% sure that he will continue to develop and eventually be one of the best starting quarterbacks in the league. He has the tremendous ability to escape pressure and make throws while on the run. Also, as the season progressed Sanchez showed much more poise in the pocket and was able to make the tough throws.

Season Grade: C+

Running Back:

Thomas Jones had an absolutely incredible season which exceeded all of my expectations. He finished with a league leading 331 carries and was 4th in the league with 1402 yards. He was also able to pick up 14 touchdowns. Jones was the workhorse back all season and was the main reason that the Jets were able to make the playoffs. Jones was consistent all season (until the playoffs) and was able to wear defenses down late in games. Jones wore down a little bit come playoff time because of a bad knee and a huge workload during the regular season. However, his play during the regular season is what propelled the Jets to having the #1 running game in the league.

Season Grade: A

Shonn Greene took over as the backup running back when Leon Washington went down with a broken leg in the beginning of the season. Greene finished the regular season with 108 carries for 540 yards and 2 touchdowns. The one thing I loved about Greene this year was his style of running the ball. I haven't seen a running back run as hard as him since Jamal Lewis during his prime and maybe Adrian Peterson. Greene absolutely wrecks people who attempt to tackle him. However, as well as Greene played during the regular season he really stepped up his game during the playoffs. As Thomas Jones appeared to be wearing down Greene took over the workload at running back and finished with 304 yards and 5.6 yards per carry. He was the major reason that the Jets were able to advance past both Cincinnati and San Diego and the Colts game might have turned out differently if he hadn't gone down with an injury. The only negative with Greene this year was a fumbling problem. However, he seemed to correct that because the ball was secure in the playoffs.

Season Grade: B+

Leon Washington was on his way to having another very good season before going down with an injury during the Raiders game. Since he wasn't around for much of the season I am not going to do a full write up but Washington looked like he would have had a greatly increased role this year and I hope he will be back at 100% next year.

Fullback:

Tony Richardson had another stellar year to add to his long and brilliant career. Richardson anchored a running game which finished #1 in the league and even at his age he is still able to open up holes for the running backs. As I said before the season, Richardson is great and I really hope he decides to forgo retirement for another year and be the lead blocker for this running game. If he retires he will be sorely missed.

Season Grade: A

Wide Receiver:

Jerricho Cotchery had an outstanding season with 57 catches for 821 yards and 3 touchdowns. Although this may not seem so special with the great numbers many wide receivers put up around the league, Cotchery anchored the Jets receiving core and provided a consistent target for Mark Sanchez. Cotchery rarely had a drop and he is one of the crispest route runners in the league. He stepped it up against the Colts (in a losing effort) and made a few incredible catches.

Season Grade: B+

Braylon Edwards came to the Jets with much hype after week 4 in a trade that sent Chansi Stuckey to the Cleveland Browns. Edwards came in with much fanfare and with a reputation for dropping the ball. We saw two sides of Edwards over the 12 games that he was a Jet. First, Edwards made some absolutely incredible catches this season. The one that stands out to me is his first game where he bailed out Mark Sanchez with a great catch down the sideline while somehow getting both feet in bounds. However, with the great plays came the inevitable drops. Most Jets fans will have trouble forgetting his drop where the ball literally hit him in the head. However, the one thing about Edwards that the casual fan will miss is his run blocking. He showed this year that he is committed to the team with outstanding run blocking on the outside. Unlike receivers like Randy Moss and Terrell Owens who give up on plays Edwards is always there making a key block.

Season Grade: B

Brad Smith entered this season as a disappointment to most Jets fans but he is leaving it as a fan favorite. Since he has been drafted we have heard that Smith has the ability to change the game by both running, catching, and even throwing the ball. However, we haven't seen this talk come to fruition. After Leon Washington went down the "Seminole" offense seemed to die and a new option offense was formed from it led by Brad Smith. Smith was incredible out of this offense and we even got to see him throw in the Colts game which I know most people were not expecting. Smith is still not a great receiver but his ability to make plays out of the option offense is something that cannot be overlooked. He ran straight through the Bengals in Week 17 to put the Jets into the playoffs.

Season Grade: B+

David Clowney had a very disappointing season and didn't even eclipse 200 yards. He got into trouble early in the season with Twitter and he never really regained a prominent role in this offense.

Season Grade: C-

Tight End:

Dustin Keller came into the season with high expectations (at least in my mind) and he partially fulfilled them. Keller is a great pass catching tight end and he showed that during the playoffs with 3 straight games with a touchdown. However, Keller was hurt this year by the slow development of Mark Sanchez. With the Jets only throwing the ball 15-20 times a game by the time the season ended there weren't enough balls going around for Keller to put up gaudy stats. However, he had a fairly good season and was second on the Jets in both receptions and yards. I expect him to be utilized next year a lot more as Sanchez develops.

Season Grade: B-

Offensive Line:

D'Brickashaw Ferguson has developed into one of the best left tackles in the league. In a division where there are some great pass rushers (Aaron Schobel and Jason Taylor) Ferguson rarely missed an assignment. Also, I will say this for every member of the line, anytime your team leads the league in rushing the offensive line is the major contributor in that. Ferguson is going to the pro-bowl along with teammates Alan Faneca and Nick Mangold

Season Grade: A

Alan Faneca is one of the most respected offensive lineman in the league but he is going to the pro bowl this year based on reputation and not play. Faneca was the most disappointing member of the line this year. However, even while having a disappointing season Faneca is a veteran anchor who still is good at his job. I am not sure if he will be around next year (I am thinking he will be).

Season Grade: C

Nick Mangold is the best center in the league and he continues to get better year after year. I recently read an article that said that there were two types of centers in the league. There are power guys and finesse guys. This article said that the reason Mangold is so good is because he is a mix of both. I can't say it any better myself so I will just refer to that. A few years ago the Jets made the brilliant move of picking up two offensive lineman in the first round of the draft. Although many were skeptical at the time, this move has turned out to be genius. Mangold has replaced Kevin Mawae and hasn't missed a beat, which is really saying something. Mangold will once again be going to the pro-bowl.

Season Grade: A

Brandon Moore came into this season as the most underrated member of the Jets offensive line and he leaves it the same way. However, you can't downplay his impact in the power running game. The Jets run over the right side of the line a ton and Moore is a major reason for that. He is a dominating run blocker who doesn't get the credit he deserves.

Season Grade: B+

Damian Woody is another member of the line who gets overlooked. Woody has made the move to right tackle flawlessly over the past 2 years and now anchors the right side of the line where the Jets run the ball all the time.

Season Grade: B

Jets v. Colts Postgame

2010-01-25T07:28:00.000-05:00

Colts- 30
Jets- 17

Jets- Eliminated from the playoffs

The lack of expectations does not make this loss easier for Jets fans. After suffering through a season which included a 3-0 start, a dip to 4-6 and then a trip to the AFC Championship many people started to get hopes that maybe, just maybe, this would be the year. However, the Jets ran into the monster known as Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship game. Peyton is not only one of the best quarterbacks of this generation but quite possibly one of the bets of all time. He has taken an average Colts team this year to a 14-2 record in the regular season and now a Super Bowl berth. If I was to assign blame in this game it would go on the Jets pass coverage. Manning was able to easily dismantle Dwight Lowery and Lito Sheppard (when he played) and the Jets sorely missed having a healthy Donald Strickland in the game.

Thumbs Up:

Mark Sanchez played his best game as a professional with a stat line of 17/30 for 257 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. More importantly, Sanchez was great at avoiding the pressure of the Colts offensive line and he did not make bad throws when he was flushed from the pocket. His pass to Braylon Edwards was beautiful and he made a few great 3rd down plays. Another pass that stands out is the other touchdown to Dustin Keller which was a perfectly thrown ball to a receiver in tight coverage. I think what most Jets fans realized in this game is that we have our quarterback of the future. This guy has poise inside and outside the pocket and I expect with an offseason to prepare he will come back very strong in his second year.

Jerricho Cotchery made a few great catches in situations where the Jets needed to pick up 1st downs. He finished with 5 receptions and over 100 yards. Cotchery has been the Jets most consistent receiver all year and I expect there to be a great chemistry between him and Sanchez going into next season.

David Harris showed in this game why he deserves a pro bowl berth. He finished the game with 11 tackles (all solo), 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. He flies around the ball and seems to always be there to make a play. His future is looking extremely bright.

Thumbs Down:

Jay Feely has been consistent all year and I hate to bash him now but he HAS to make at least one of those field goals that he missed. Inside the dome both were makeable kicks and the Jets could not afford to leave points on the field and give Manning great field position.

Dwight Lowery was attacked all day by Peyton Manning. It seemed like every completed pass was going in his direction. Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie lit him up for over 100 yards each. The Jets are going to need to address this position in the offseason (but that's a discussion for another time).

Thomas Jones has been a warrior all season and I really hope we see him return next year. However, it seemed like his hard running all year resulted in him being a little tired for the playoffs. He did not show the same burst that he showed at the end of the season and the running game was essentially shut down as soon as Shonn Greene went out with the injury.

Well, it's the end of another season. As I said in my first post I believed this season would be a ton of disappointment with some successes mixed in. This has been the typical view of a Jets fan over the last 40 or so years. However, I also expressed that the arrival of Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez provided a sense of optimism for Jets fans everywhere. It turns out the latter was more true than the former. This season was disappointing in many ways. There were far too many games where the Jets should have won but either were hampered by extremely poor quarterback play, a breakdown on special teams, or a last second drive by an opposing offense. However, despite these setbacks the Jets showed resolve and character in fighting their way through adversity to make the playoffs and advance to the AFC Championship. Sanchez and Ryan have given me hope that the "change" we Jets fans have been looking for is there for us to grab. It was fun documenting this season and my "season in review" post will be up as soon as I get over this loss and am able to look at this all without as much emotion.

Jets v. Colts Pregame

2010-01-23T08:41:00.000-05:00

Wow. The AFC Championship game. Who would have thought that the team that Rex Ryan proclaimed as having no chance for a playoff spot after the Falcons game would be in this position. I am truly surprised, shocked, and unbelievably excited about this game. The Jets team and fans have not been in this position since 1998 against the Broncos (If you look back to my first post you will see that the Broncos game is one of my earliest memories of being a Jets fan). This is the biggest game I have ever experienced as a Jets fan and I truly believe that we have a chance to win it. The Jets will travel into Indy to take on a Colts team that has run through opponents all year. Peyton Manning is a god in football circles and he turns an otherwise good Colts team into an almost unbeatable one. The Jets pass rush will have to get through an average Colts offensive line in order to combat Manning's quick release.

What to watch for....

Will the Jets pass rush be able to negate Peyton Manning's brilliance? The difference between Manning and the average NFL quarterback is two fold. First, he is able to recognize defenses and blitz schemes at the line of scrimmage and adjust his play to beat them. Second, his release is so quick that the pass rush always seems half a second too late. In order for the Jets to win this game Rex Ryan is going to have to design schemes that can challenge Manning. If he is able to stand back in the pocket with time to throw the Jets will have no shot of slowing him down.

What are the effects of the Week 16 game? The Jets have heard for weeks that they have been "let into" the playoffs and that they "backed in". Now, let me dispel the notion that they "backed in". When you back into a playoff spot you get in by losing. However, the Jets in Week 16 and 17 beat the team that was put on the field in front of them. However, the "experts" don't fully understand this and have been selling the Jets short on that Week 16 and 17 victory (despite the fact that the Bengals played their starters while the Jets built a 27-0 lead). This could be motivation as the Jets will come out wanting to prove that they really are a team that deserved that Week 16 win. This could also work the other way with the Colts wanting to prove what a joke it was that they "let" the Jets win in Week 16.

Could Rex Ryan's itinerary come true? Rex Ryan wrote up an itinerary before the playoffs started that included a schedule for every day and an eventual Super Bowl parade. As with most things Ryan does most of the country took this as a giant joke. However, the Jets players have bought into it and now they are one win from going to the Super Bowl. Can miracles happen?

Who to watch for..

I feel like I post the same thing every week but it is never hard to predict who the big players are for the Jets. Shonn Greene has led the Jets rushing attack with two straight 100 yard games. He runs harder than any running back I have seen in a long time and he will need an absolutely GREAT game against a weak Colts rushing attack in order for the Jets to have any chance of winning this game.

The entire secondary will have to play the game of their lives as Peyton Manning loves to spread the ball around to his various targets. Reggie Wayne is obviously a favorite but he should be blanketed by Revis for most the game. The player I am concerned about is Dallas Clark. Kerry Rhodes and Eric Smith have done a fairly good job of covering tight ends this year and stopping Clark could end up being the key to stopping the entire Colts offense. Jim Leonhard is going to have to continue his great play in these playoffs and will have to get pressure on Manning with the overload blitzes.

The Jets offensive line is the best in the league and will have to give Sanchez time on play actions while opening up holes for Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene. The success of Mark Sanchez in these playoffs has been reliant on a good play action game which will need to be set up by a strong running game. Another key will be stopping the pass rush of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. These are two of the best pass rushers in the league and they could hurry Mark Sanchez into some bad passes if the Jets don't neutralize their pass rush.

The reason I love football so much is that any team can win in any given year. The 2009 New York Jets are a perfect example of this notion. However, despite this feeling that "any team can win it" I have never been able to picture the Jets in the Super Bowl. My emotions while watching that game may border on dangerous. However, before worrying about that the Jets must take care of business against a great Colts team. Can this miracle run continue? We are about to find out.

Game Prediction:

Colts- 23
Jets- 17

My Test for Being a Jets Fan Around 20 Years of Age

2010-01-18T21:17:00.000-05:00

I am going to do this in a number of stages. It will start out easy and end up being fairly difficult.

Stage 1:

1.) Can you name at least 5 Quarterbacks who have played for the Jets since 2001? (There are 4 on the roster right now)

2.) Can you name at least 5 running backs who have played for the Jets since 2001? (Not including fullbacks)

3.) Name the current offensive line with exact position names.

4.) Name 3 Jets head coaches since 2001.

5.) Name 3 current wide receivers.

Stage 2:

1.) Name 3 fullbacks who have played for the Jets since 2001?

2.) Which wide receiver was included in the trade to the Browns to get Braylon Edwards?

3.) What pick in the draft did the Jets get Mark Sanchez with?

4.) What was the name of the Jets kicker who missed field goals to send the Jets to the AFC Championship during the 2004 season?

5.) Who is James Dearth and what has been his main role since he has been on this team.

Stage 3:

1.) Name 10 Jets quarterbacks since 2001.

2.) What number is Curtis Martin on the all time rushing list.

3.) Name 10 Jets receivers since 2001.

4.) Name all the years that the Jets have made the playoffs since 2001.

5.) What college did the following players play for: Darelle Revis, Chad Pennington, Mark Sanchez, Leon Washington.

6.) What team did Jets cornerback Aaron Glenn go to after leaving the Jets?

7.) Who is Kevin Mawae, what position does he play, and what team is he currently on?

Stage 5:

What comes to mind when you hear the following things:

2004 Playoffs
Monday Night Miracle
Justin McCarins

Jets v. Chargers Postgame

2010-01-18T08:21:00.000-05:00

Jets- 17
Chargers- 14

Jets advance to AFC Championship against the Colts.

The Jets have arrived and the doubters have to start believing as the New York Jets went into San Diego and took down the red hot San Diego Chargers. The Jets used their usual formula of great defense and a relentless running attack to take down a team that many believed was headed for the Super Bowl. The Jets defense stepped up and played great against the Chargers tall and athletic receivers and a few big interceptions by Darelle Revis and Jim Leonhard really gave the Jets a chance to pull off this win and continue this miracle run. The Cinderella story continues next week as the Jets are faced with a new challenge, beating Peyton Manning.

Thumbs Up:

Jim Leonhard and Kerry Rhodes both deserve a thumbs up for their play from the safety spots. Leonhard flies to the ball whether it's in the hands of a receiver or the quarterback. He came up with the crucial interception deep in Chargers territory as well as a forced fumble and recovery (which was wrongly overturned). Rhodes looked a little like his former self coming in on the blitzes and he also made a great play to go up and get the ball on the onside kick.

Shonn Greene once again tore it up as he rushed for 128 yards and a crucial 53 yard touchdown run to give the Jets a double digit lead. Greene has run great in these playoffs.

David Harris played a great game like he always does and he was followed closely by the rest of the defense. Sione Pouha once again stepped up and played huge also. I can't imagine where this team would be without the losses of Kris Jenkins and Leon Washington.

Thumbs Down:

The officiating on the non-fumble was absolutely atrocious. Vincent Jackson brought the ball in and landed on the ground before being hit by Leonhard. That was a fumble for everyone except for the ref making the decision.

Brad Smith and the kickoff return game was disappointing tonight. They need to set up the offense in better field position.

Game Overview:

Overall, that was the best win I have ever experienced as a Jets fan. It has been absolutely incredible to watch the transformation of this team throughout this season. Just taking a look back at my previous blog posts you can see the early triumphs, agonizing defeats, and the recent successes somehow blending together to make this a very special season. As big as that win was, the Jets have to travel to Indy next week to play a red-hot Peyton Manning. We all know what the Jets are going to do, now we have to see if the Colts can beat it.

Jets v. Chargers Pregame

2010-01-17T07:04:00.000-05:00

The Jets fly to San Diego to play in their biggest game since the devastating loss at Pittsburgh many years ago. As a Jets fan, that game (and Doug Brien's missed field goals) defines what it has been like to be a Jets fan over at least the last 10 years. They build you up slowly only to deflate you with inexplicable play. However, the "Same Old Jets" moniker has been put to rest so far with this Jets team as they have fought back all season long to stay in the playoff hunt. The Jets come into this game extremely hot winning 5 of their last 6 games. All the talk about "lack of competition" should be gone as the Jets have made the playoffs with the #1 ranked rushing attack and the #1 ranked overall defense.

What to watch for....

Watch the weather in this one. The last time I checked there was a 20% chance of rain tonight which could really help the Jets. The Chargers rely on the passing attack and the Jets are the best in the league at stopping that. The ability to slow down that facet of their offense in any way will be extremely beneficial.

Who is the tougher team? The Jets come into this game extremely confident that they are the more physical team and the numbers seem to indicate that. The Jets excel at playing defense and running the ball while the Chargers excel at passing down field. This matchup couldn't get much better for the Jets as they are in a position to shut down what the Chargers do best.

The last time the Jets played a playoff game in San Diego the crowd played a huge factor (although the Jets still won). The Jets players at that time said that they were extremely loud through the entire game. With a rookie quarterback playing for the Jets they will have to do something to take the crowd out of the game early.

Who to watch for...

As it has been with the Jets all year Mark Sanchez and his ability to protect the ball is the X-Factor. Last week he played a near flawless game and the Jets running attack and defense did the rest of the work. If the Jets want to have any chance to win this at all Sanchez is going to need to have his throws limited and kept simple.

Dwight Lowery and Donald Strickland will both be active for this one and will have the extremely difficult task of covering some of San Diego's very good receivers. The Chargers have a lot of weapons (most notably Sproles and Gates) who these two are going to have to cover.

Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones will once again spearhead a running attack which needs to eat up clock and keep the Chargers high powered offense off the field. The Chargers have struggled in stopping the run all season and if one of these two guys can get going it could be a long day for them.

Game Thoughts:

This Jets team has surprised me all year. I came into the year expecting 8-8 or 9-7 (Can't remember which one I predicted) but I never thought that they could make a serious playoff run in Ryan's and Sanchez's first year. However, behind a stellar defense and a great running attack the Jets are looking to book themselves a trip to Indianapolis to see the Colts.

Game Prediction:

Chargers: 24
Jets- 13

A Day Before the Game

2010-01-16T08:37:00.002-05:00

Woodson Wins DPOTY

2010-01-12T12:24:00.001-05:00

Charles Woodson winning defensive player of the year shows how ridiculous the process is. He had a great year but no defensive player in the league meant more to his team or played better defensively than Darelle Revis and the playoff game where Fitzgerald and others burned Woodson showed that. Revis shut down Moss (x2), Owens (x2) ,Steve Smith, Andre Johnson, Chad Johnson (x2), Reggie Wayne, and Marques Colston and those are only the big names. Hopefully this loss inspires him this weekend.

Jets v. Bengals Postgame

2010-01-10T08:54:00.000-05:00

Jets: 24
Bengals: 14

With a 10 point victory over the Bengals the Jets have advanced to the second round of the playoffs against either the San Diego Chargers or the Indianapolis Colts. The Jets used a superb running attack led by rookie RB Shonn Greene and an extremely efficient Mark Sanchez to put up points against a good Bengals defense. With this win, the Jets managed to quiet a lot of critics who have criticized the team;s recent wins against teams who had "nothing to play for." The Jets defense and running attack lived up to their reputation as the best in the league used them to dismantle the Bengals.

Thumbs Up:

Shonn Greene controlled the majority of the running game with 21 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown. His long touchdown on the counter pitch play was a huge play in the game and he really dominated the Bengals on the ground. The formula is in place for the Jets the rest of the playoffs. If Greene/Jones are able to get a rhythm established on the ground it will enable Mark Sanchez to make safe throws.

Mark Sanchez finished 12/15 for 182 yards and a touchdown and turned in his best performance as a pro in his biggest game. He was extremely efficient and only made safe throws. With the running game working the way it was there was no reason for Sanchez to take risks down the field. He made a few big throws and was careful with the ball.

Darelle Revis played an excellent game despite getting absolutely screwed by at least 2 pass interference calls. The refs seemed to have it out for number 24 last night as Revis was called on two pass interference penalties where there was clearly no penalty. In fact, on one of the plays Ochocinco seemed to clearly push off. However, despite the rash of bad calls against him Revis was still able to make an acrobatic interception as well as hold Ochocinco to 2 catches.

Jay Feely normally doesn't get that much credit on here because I expect that a kicker can do his job. However, last night Feely went above and beyond after he had to take over the punting duties with Steve Weatherford out with an irregular heartbeat. Feely was able to nail almost half of his punts inside the 20 which was better than I could have expected.

Thumbs Down:

Braylon Edwards dropped a clear touchdown on a 40 yard Mark Sanchez pass that just went right through his hands. Edwards has been plagued by drops in his career and he cannot afford to make that same mistake if the Jets want to have any hope of knocking off the Colts or the Chargers next week.

Referees. The two pass interference calls against Revis were absolutely wrong which I have already gone over above. Also, the late hit on David Harris was absurd and gave the Bengals a free 15 yards.

Special Teams, other than Jay Feely, did not have a good day. The Bengals opened up the game with a long kickoff return and were able to get a long punt return soon thereafter. Also, we gave up 3 points with two false start penalties on two consecutive Jay Feely field goals. These are the kind of mistakes which we can't afford to make against better teams.

Game Thoughts:

That was the game I was hoping to see out of the Jets all season. We were able to control the ball on offense with the running game and throw it just enough times to keep the Bengals off balance. Sanchez protected the ball and made some plays when we needed it. The run defense was poor but the overall defense was good as we did a good job holding the Bengals to 14 points. This Jets team is going to be dangerous next week whether we play the Colts or the Chargers. With this defense and running game this team can beat anyone if they play a good game.

Who to Play:

Personally, I would rather go to San Diego and play the Chargers because I want to avoid Peyton Manning as long as possible. This means rooting for the Ravens to upset the Patriots tonight. This has a few positives. 1.) We get to see the Patriots eliminated from the playoffs. 2.) It keeps alive the slim hope of a home AFC Championship game. 3.) No Peyton Manning until a potential AFC Championship game.

Wild Card: Jets v. Bengals

2010-01-09T08:55:00.000-05:00

The Jets travel into Cincinnati as the underdog in a rematch of a week 17 match-up. However, little will be the same in this game as the Bengals will come into it with a lot more to play for. Just two weeks after being written off by Jets head coach Rex Ryan the team somehow stumbled themselves into a playoff berth. This game will feature two teams which will employ very similar strategies. Both teams will look to utilize their strong running attacks and great defenses. The Jets come into this game with the league's #1 ranked defense and the #1 ranked rushing offense.

What to watch for...

Brian Schottenheimer's play calling will be huge in this game. Schotty needs to keep the offense out of Sanchez's hands and only force him to throw when it is necessary. I really like what he has done in the past few weeks with Brad Smith lining up in a wildcat/option formation. This seemed to catch the Bengals off guard last week and the Jets may be able to run a similar formation successfully this week. The key to this game on offense is establishing the run. If the Jets can get a running game going they will be extremely difficult to stop.

Will David Harris play? Harris was the Jets leading tackler and was a strong consideration for the pro bowl. (should have made it) However, he got injured late in the first half last week and hasn't been able to fully practice all week. If Harris can't play it is going to open up a huge gap at the middle linebacker position.

How will the Bengals respond? After a 37-0 drubbing last week at the Meadowlands it will be interesting to see how the Bengals respond. They couldn't get anything going in Week 17 and this should fuel the Jets confidence.

Who to watch for..

Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene will anchor the Jets running attack and are the only hope of the Jets establishing a good offensive rhythm. Look for Jones to get around 25 carries today with Greene getting around 10 as the Jets look to keep the ball out of Sanchez's hands and not forcing him to make plays until it is necessary. One thing to watch for is whether Greene can hold onto the ball. He runs harder than any running back I have seen since Jamal Lewis but he also has fumbling problems. Turnovers for the Jets will kill any chance they have of winning this game.

Darelle Revis will once again be tasked with shutting down an elite receiver when Chad Ochocinco/Johnson lines up opposite of him. Ocho was shut down last week and held to no catches by Revis. Look for Revis to continue doing what he has done all year, shutting down top receivers.

The offensive line will have to continue their efforts from last week in order to open up holes for Jones and Greene as well as for giving Sanchez time to throw. If the running game can be established early it will help out Sanchez and put him in situations where he doesn't have to make the difficult throw.

Here we go, it seems like it has been forever since we have watched a Jets playoff game but we are finally getting one tonight. The Jets come into this game as underdogs with a great chance to upset the Bengals.

Game Prediction:
Jets-16
Bengals- 13

Jets Make the Playoffs

2010-01-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

The New York Jets have made the playoffs. Amazing, Unbelievable, Shocking are just a few words that can describe how I feel about this playoff birth. With a convincing win over the Bengals the Jets have played themselves into the playoffs and a first round rematch against the Bengals. The ups and downs through this season were absolutely incredible. 5 of the 7 losses came by a combined 17 points with some truly heartbreaking losses. However, none of this matters now as the New York Jets have given themselves a chance to win a Superbowl. The Jets will travel into Cincinnati as underdogs just a week after beating them 37-0 in the last game at the Meadowlands. On Saturday at 4:30 we will see what Jets team we will get for this postseason.

Jets v. Bengals Pregame

2010-01-03T19:11:00.000-05:00

Win to get in. This is the game that Jets fans have dreamed of having all season long. We have gone through a lot this season with some of the most excruciating losses that I can ever remember experiencing. However, tonight there is a chance to forget all of that and make the playoffs. I am not going to go through my normal pregame post because 1.) It is 12:10 A.M. here and I don't have the energy and 2.) It isn't needed. It's as simple as this. WIN AND GET IN.

Jets v. Colts Postgame

2009-12-29T03:07:00.000-05:00

Jets- 29
Colts- 15

Jets: 8-7

With everything to play for the Jets were able to pull off a miraculous win against the Colts to keep themselves in the AFC wild card picture. At this point everyone knows the reason the Jets won this game. Peyton Manning was pulled late in the 3rd Quarter in favor of Curtis Painter and the Jets never looked back. With this win the Jets will control their own destiny next Sunday night when they return home to play the Cincinnati Bengals. In this win and in scenario the Jets players should be pumped up in front of a loud Meadowlands crowd.

Thumbs Up:

Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene both had outstanding games in this win. Jones finished with 23 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown while Greene finished with 16 carries for 95 yards. Greene seemed to control much of the running early as he punished Colts defenders. Jones was able to eat up clock in the 3rd and 4th quarter after the Jets got the lead.

Calvin Pace was able to create the fumble and was a major turning point in the game.

Brad Smith infused hope in me and other Jets fans with his kickoff return touchdown to start the second half. The Jets offense looked dead throughout the first half and this kickoff return really put the life back into the team.

Honorable Mention: Jim Caldwell for pulling Peyton Manning.

Thumbs Down:

Brian Schottenheimer. As has been said many times before and will probably continue to be said Schottenheimer gets way too "cute" with his playcalling. The Jets opened the game backed up against their own endzone with three straight pass plays. When the Jets got a drive going in the first half Schotty killed it by calling a reverse to Clowney which resulted in a 15 yard loss. The tools are there for the Jets to be a strong, power running team and Schotty has to rely on that attack.

David Clowney can't make run 15 yards backwards on that reverse play. He needs to realize when the play is blown up.

Game Thoughts:

The Jets need one more win to get in. Jets v. Bengals next week at 8:30 will decide out playoff hopes. I wish I was going but instead I will be in front of a computer in Ireland at 1:30 A.M. praying for a win. LET'S GO JETS.

Jets v. Colts Preview

2009-12-27T15:13:00.000-05:00

With the AFC Playoff picture getting clearer and clearer it looks like the Jets have a golden opportunity to gain control their own destiny by the end of the day. However, this assumes that the Jets will actually be able to win a game against the 14-0 Colts. The Colts have been good all season and it looks like Peyton Manning will be playing a complete game today unless their is a blowout in either direction. The Jets will have to use their #1 defense and rushing attack to shut down Manning and keep him off field.

What to watch for...

How long will the Colts starters play? This involves a lot more than just Peyton Manning. Manning looks like he is going to play but this does not mean Colts players such as Addai and Dwight Freeney will be in for the entire game. If the Colts start resting some of their starters it will benefit the Jets greatly.

Can the Jets avoid turnovers? The Jets will need to play a perfect game to upset the undefeated Colts. This means executing field goals, not throwing interceptions, not missing easy interceptions, and not fumbling the ball. If Thomas Jones can get going on the ground it should help Sanchez avoid forcing bad throws.

Can the Jets stay close early? The Jets cannot allow Peyton Manning to get a big lead early. Sanchez is not ready to lead this team on a big comeback and the Jets will need to be in a position in this game where they can utilize their rushing attack with Jones and Greene and use that to set up the pass. Getting behind early could spell disaster for the Jets.

Who to watch for...

Mark Sanchez could have this game put on his shoulders early if the Jets defense is unable to shut down Peyton Manning early. He will have to make some big plays in this game for the Jets to have any shot.

Thomas Jones will have to have another good game to take the pressure off of Sanchez and to keep the clock moving and Manning off the field. If Jones can find some holes early it will improve the Jets chances greatly.

Lito Shephard, Donald Strickland, and Dwight Lowery will be playing across from the great Darelle Revis and will need to make plays. The Colts have so many weapons on offense other than Reggie Wayne and they will need to be well covered.

I do not think the Jets are going to be able to win this game. The Colts are simply too good and Peyton Manning is just amazing at both building early leads and coming back late in games. They are tough to play on the road in the dome and the Jets will need some luck to beat him. The defense will have to play the game of their lives and Sanchez will have to limit mistakes.

Game Prediction:
Colts- 27
Jets- 13

Jets v. Falcons Postgame

2009-12-20T19:57:00.001-05:00

Falcons- 10
Jets-7

Jets- 7-7

The playoff hopes are just about dead as the Jets found a way to blow a game that was entirely in their grasp. The defense came out to play today and was great for 3 and a half quarters. However, the trend of the season continued as one aspect of the team managed to let everyone else down. The Jets special teams today was terrible as they missed 3 field goals (one botched, one blocked, one missed). This was an absolutely terrible way to lose the game after the offense continuously put the team in a position to score points and the special teams unit couldn't execute.

Thumbs Up:

Darelle Revis played another outstanding game in blanketing Roddy White and making a few great pass deflections. There is nothing more to say about his effort as it is outstanding each and every weekend.

I thought that Kerry Rhodes put together a pretty good game today. It is hard to give him a thumbs up because of several missed tackles but he showed why he was given a huge pay day. His pass coverage today was excellent for most of the day.

Braylon Edwards played a great game. His 65 yard catch was the Jets only big offensive play of the game and he also made a few other really good plays. I really like what Edwards has done since arriving and I hope we are able to lock him up long term.

Thumbs Down:

Jay Feely, Kellen Clemens, and James Dearth blew this game today. As I mentioned before the Clemens botched a chip shot field goal, Feely missed a makeable one (on a bad Dearth snap), and Feely had one blocked. If 2/3 of these field goals had been executed the Jets would have won this game easily. None of these opportunities were difficult and it just shows that the Jets find the most creative ways to lose games.

Defensive non-interception. The Jets let so many potential interceptions slip right through their hands which would have completely turned around this game.

Last drive defense blew a game once again. We saw this in Miami and Jaxonville where the defense could hold a team on the final drive of a game. The Jets had the Falcons in numerous 3rd and longs today and couldn't execute.

I am having trouble even talking about this game because of how bad the Jets played and how golden an opportunity they let slip through their fingers. At 7-7 they are still in the playoff race (although barely) but this game just epitomizes this season. The defense played amazing and the offense continuously put the team in a position to score points. It is like it is impossible for this team to put it together in all three phases. As I have said all season, the Jets always fall apart in one area and it costs them the game. In this one, it was the special teams. As for playoff scenarios, sure, they are still alive. Actually, the Broncos loss puts the Jets in a position where they could get a potential playoff spot. However, this team won't make the playoffs. The only time this team looked like it deserved the playoffs was during the 3-0 start and that is way in the past at this point. Losing and disappointment is what being a Jets fan is all about. Why would that change now?

Falcons at Jets Pregame

2009-12-17T14:16:00.000-05:00

Playoff Picture:

Division Leaders

Indy 13-0
SD 10-3
Cincy 9-4
NE 8-5

Wild Card Leaders

Den 8-5
Jax 7-6

In the Hunt

Bal 7-6
Mia 7-6
NYJ 7-6

Need a miracle
Pit 6-7
Ten 6-7
Hou 6-7

Important Games:

Colts at Jaguars- The Jets need the Jaguars to lose this game because of tiebreakers. This would take another team behind the Jets (assuming the Jets win) which is always a good thing.

Dolphins at Titans- Another loss for the Dolphins would be huge because this is yet another team that the Jets lose tiebreakers against.

Oakland at Denver- If Oakland wins this game it bring the Broncos back into the already muddled AFC wild card race.

Bengals v. Chargers- If the Chargers win this game it pretty much cements them into the second spot in the AFC and the Bengals will be solidified in the 3rd spot. The Jets need the Bengals to have nothing to play for in the final week.

Patriots at Bills- If the Patriots lose the Jets will have an outside shot of winning the division if they win out.

Chicago at Baltimore- Chicago needs to win and knock Baltimore out of the playoff picture.

Game Preview:

Falcons at Jets:

The Jets are 7-6 and are right in the middle of the AFC wild card race. However, they do not control their own destiny as the Jaguars and Dolphins have the same record and both win tiebreakers against the Jets. There are plenty of question marks coming into this game. Will Matt Ryan and Michael Turner play? Will Mark Sanchez be the starting QB for the Jets? The answer to these questions could go a long way to determining the outcome of this game.

What to watch for....

How will all the injury questions play out on Sunday? With both starting quarterbacks and the Michael Turner questionable for this game we are largely unsure of how this game will play out. My guess is that Ryan and Sanchez will start but Turner will be ruled out.

The crowd should be really into it Sunday as no Jets fan was expecting meaningful games this late in the season a few weeks ago. This is a make or break game for the season and I expect a really loud, packed Meadowlands.

The playoff race is heating up and everyone will be watching the scoreboard rooting for other teams to lose. Despite being tied for the playoff spot the Jets still need a lot of help in order to make the playoffs.

Who to watch for...

Thomas Jones has had a phenomenal season and will need to continue that effort whether Sanchez or Clemens starts in this one. Clemens has played terribly in limited action and if Sanchez plays it will be with 2 knee braces. Jones has had a great season and will need to keep it up in this game.

David Harris and Bart Scott need to shut down the Falcons running attack, especially if Turner plays.

D'Brickashaw Ferguson will have to play a great game in order to shut down John Abraham and the Falcons pass rush. The Jets can't allow Sanchez to be hit hard in this one (assuming he starts) especially because he's wearing 2 knee braces.

Game Thoughts:

I think the Jets will come out and play well in this one and get a big home win. The crowd should be into it and the Jets rushing attack should be able to get going in this one.

Game Prediction:

Jets- 24
Falcons- 21

Jets v. Bucs Pregame

2009-12-12T18:21:00.001-05:00

The Jets playoff hopes continue to stay alive as teams around them continue to lose. The Steelers have now lost 5 in a row to drop to a 6-7 record and fall out of the playoff race. Here is the current playoff picture:

Division Leaders

Indy 12-0
Cincy 9-3
SD 9-3
NE 7-5

Wild Card Leaders

Den 8-4
Jax 7-5

In the Hunt

Bal 6-6
Mia 6-6
NYJ 6-6

Need a miracle
Pit 6-7
Ten 5-7
Hou 5-7

Important Games:

Lions at Ravens: I don't really have much hope of the Lions winning this game but with the performances that Oakland and Cleveland put up against the Steelers in the past two weeks I know that anything is possible. A Ravens loss would give them their 7th and would make it difficult for them to make the playoffs.

Broncos at Colts: If the Colts can win this game it serves two central purposes. 1.) It pulls the Broncos back to the rest of the teams in the wild card hunt and opens up the potential for a fight for the other spot. 2.) It allows the Colts to clinch home field advantage and will hopefully make it so they rest their starters when we play them in Week 16.

Miami at Jaxonville: The Dolphins winning this game would create a tie for the last wild card spot (assuming the Jets win). Miami and Jax both still have tough schedules to play.

Carolina v. New England: This one is pretty obvious. If the Jets want any chance to win the division New England is going to have to continue to lose games.

The most important game of all:

Jets v. Bucs

The Jets enter this game with a 6-6 record and are contenders for the 6th and final wild card spot. They are coming off strong games against the Panthers and the Bills. This week will showcase Kellen Clemens in his first action as the starting quarterback for the Jets this year with Sanchez being declared out with his sprained knee. I don't expect that Clemens will be throwing the ball much in this game and the Jets should use a running attack spearheaded by Thomas Jones to beat the Bucs.

What to watch for....

How will Brian Schottenheimer call this game with Kellen Clemens behind center? Clemens has not seen any action this year other than limited time in Buffalo last week when he did not look very good. Schotty has been under heavy scrutiny all year for not fully utilizing his running attack which is ranked #1 in the league. Clemens has been in this system for a long time but I still don't expect to see more than 15-20 pass plays called in this game. If there are any more than that it means that, 1.) The Jets fall behind big early or 2.) Schottenheimer wants to lose his job.

Kerry Rhodes has yet again made the news with two incidents since the last game. First, he got into a verbal argument with the Jets defensive back coach because he was unhappy about his role in practice. Second, he posted on his twitter that he would not mind getting out of New York so he could show all the "haters" what he could do in another city. Rhodes entered this season as a favorite among Jets fans and will leave it as one of the most hated of the last decade. Rhodes needs a big performance to make all the fans stop talking about his antics off the field.

LIMITING TURNOVERS will be the key to this game for the Jets. If the Jets can limit turnovers on offense and get pressure on Josh Freeman they should be able to force turnovers and jump on the Bucs early.

Players to Watch:

Thomas Jones should get the ball 25-30 times in this game with Kellen Clemens behind center. Jones has had another stellar season and he should be able to carve up the 1-11 Tampa Bay Bucs if he is able to get going. Also, look for Shonn Greene to get his fair share of carries as the Jets try to keep the Bucs off balance early with a run heavy attack.

Eric Smith has been extremely impressive this season and even played well enough to earn the starting job for a few games. With the Kerry Rhodes situation hitting new lows every week Smith could very well be playing for a starting job next year. If he is able to keep up his stellar play I have no doubt that he will have a role on this team for years to come. (Refer back to my opening season preview post on our safeties for my prediction that Smith would be starting at some point this year)

Kellen Clemens is subbing for the injured Mark Sanchez and will have to limit mistakes. He has been in this system a long time but he must be a game manager in this one and not attempt to make any crazy plays. Hand the ball off to Thomas Jones and let him do his work.

Game Thoughts:

The Jets should win this game easily as they are playing well and the Bucs are not a very good team. I expect to see a heavy dose of Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene early on offense and a ton of pressure on rookie Josh Freeman on defense.

Game Prediction:
Jets- 27
Bucs- 13

Kellen Clemens to Start After Sanchez Injury

2009-12-09T16:12:00.000-05:00

Mark Sanchez will sit this week in favor of Kellen Clemens. I missed the Rex Ryan press conference but he stated that he made the decision in the best interest of Sanchez and he thinks that giving him another week of rest is the best move.

The Sanchez press conference is a completely different story. Sanchez was extremely disappointed and felt like he could play this week. He hasn't practiced all week but didn't see the benching coming. He commented about his sliding ability by saying that he needs to be smarter and needs to protect himself by throwing the ball away or getting out of bounds. He said that he would love to play and help the team but understands that it's Rex's decision.

This move should prompt the Jets to run the ball 40-50 times and keep the ball out of Clemens hands. If he throws the ball more than 15 times in this game I will be extremely surprised. More details will come about game strategy in the game review coming up soon.

Playoff Picture

2009-12-07T02:45:00.000-05:00

This playoff picture is courtesy of Eric Allen at newyorkjets.com

12/06 — About eight hours before the Jets lined up against the Buffalo Bills at Rogers Centre in Toronto, head coach Rex Ryan was at the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Great Hall. The 46-year-old Ryan, who played a little goal while growing up in Toronto, browsed portraits of Hall of Famers, looked at the NHL trophies and even posed for a shot with the Stanley Cup.
Ryan had an enjoyable time in his return to his childhood home as his Jets would go on to top the Bills, 19-13, and notch their second win in four days to move to 6-6. Ryan’s got plenty of respect for hockey’s Holy Grail, but he yearns to lead the Jets into football’s postseason and a shot at the Lombardi Trophy.
A 4-6 team just a week ago, the Green & White have vaulted themselves into the AFC playoff conversation. The Jets rested Sunday but still got some help from the following clubs:
Oakland — In our nobody-drug-free-could-have-predicted-this-one category, Da Raiders went in to Pittsburgh and defeated the defending Super Bowl-champion Steelers. At 6-6, the Steelers have now lost four in a row and their division hopes are dead.
Indianapolis — By taking their 21st consecutive regular-season game, the 12-0 Colts knocked the Titans down to 5-7 and Tennessee realistically will try to play spoiler down the stretch. The Jets will be at Lucas Oil Stadium to play the Colts on Dec. 27, but Indy could cement the AFC’s top seed before that matchup and that could mean a lot of substitutions for a team aiming for a full bill of health heading into January.
At this moment, some people might be scratching their heads and asking, “Dude, where’s Miami?” The Dolphins' 22-21 close shave over the Patriots today in the land of Jimmy Buffett got both the Jets and the Dolphins within one game of the Patriots. But even though it’s great to see the Pats winless on the road in North America (0-5), we won’t really be able to properly analyze this result for a couple of weeks.
By virtue of their season sweep of the Jets, the 6-6 'Fins hold an important tiebreaker edge on their friends from the north. Also, the Jets would lose out to the Patriots if the teams tied in the division as they split their two meetings this season, but New York’s AFC representative has just a 2-4 mark in the AFCE while the worst the Pats could finish is 3-3. So what really appears to be a one-game lead is basically two and there’s only four to play.
If you’re a member of Jets Nation, you don’t have to send any holiday cards to this pair:
Houston — The Texans got taken down in Jacksonville as the Jags improved to 7-5. If the season ended today, the Jags would be the AFC’s second wild card and sixth seed. Remember the Jaguars tripped up the Jets in Week 10 at the Meadowlands, so that’s something to keep in mind down the stretch when thinking about tiebreakers.
Kansas City — You wondered if the Chiefs could catch lightning twice at home. Two weeks ago, the Chiefs beat the Steelers at Arrowhead and they had a 7-4 Broncos team coming in that notoriously has struggled in KC. Uh, the Broncos trampled the Chiefs, 44-13, while improving to 8-4 and looking like a good bet for the postseason.
Don’t be surprised to see a bunch of Jets fans ordering cheese for the Monday night affair between the 6-5 Ravens and the Packers. The Jets trail the Ravens by a half-game in the conference standings.
Will 10 wins get the Jets into the postseason? Maybe, but you’ll hear all week from the team that they have four one-game seasons on the horizon and that starts next Sunday in Tampa. Let’s take a look at the AFC playoff picture as we enter the final quarter.
Indianapolis (12-0) (vs. DEN, at JAX, vs. NYJ, at BUF) — The Colts will be the AFC’s top seed and they could become a big factor in the Jets’ postseason hopes. The Green & White faithful will root for Indy against the Broncos and then on a Thursday night in Jacksonville. The Colts not only can pick off some teams the Jets figure to do battle with, but they also should be in position to rest some starters on Dec. 27.
San Diego (9-3) (at DAL, vs. CIN, at TEN, vs. WAS) — That Week 15 battle with the Bengals might decide the AFC’s second seed. The Bolts appear to be a playoff lock but they can’t take the foot off the pedal because the Broncos are knocking at their door.
Cincinnati (9-3) (at MIN, at SD, vs. KC, at Jets) — That is a ridiculously tough finishing stretch, but the Bengals are in good shape in the North as they went unblemished in the division at 6-0. Even if the Ravens beat the Packers Monday night, they’ll still be two games out and they would lose to the Bengals in a division tiebreaker. Jets fans should definitely root for the Bengals the next three weeks, so Cinci treats the finale like an exhibition game. Not saying the Jets can’t beat the Bengals, but you’ll take any advantage you can get.
New England (7-5) (vs. CAR, at BUF, vs. JAX at HOU) — Losers of three of their past four games, the Pats will be big favorites their next two contests. They get the Jaguars at home and then a Texans team that’s in freefall. If they could drop two, though …
Denver (8-4) (at IND, vs. OAK, at PHI, vs. KC) — Interesting matchup next week because the Broncos can cover in their defensive backfield and Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning. The Broncs will be prohibitive home favorites against the Raiders and the Chiefs and 10 looks very doable for this club.
Jacksonville (7-5) (vs. MIA, vs. IND, at NE, at CLE) — The Jets don’t want to finish tied with the Jags. Next week Jets fans have a huge dilemma, but I think you root for the Dolphins. Now that you’re removed the bag from your mouth, the thinking is the Jags would fall back to 7-6 and a sweep over the Colts and the Pats is highly unlikely. That last game against the Browns is favorable.
Baltimore (6-5) (at GB, vs. DET, vs. CHI, at PIT, at OAK) — Big one Monday for the Ravens because the Lions and the Bears follow at home.
Pittsburgh (6-6) (at CLE, vs. GB, vs. BAL, at MIA) — After Mike Tomlin said the Steelers “won’t go gently” and that they’d “unleash hell here in December,” the defending champs lost to the Silver & Black at home. What to expect now is anybody’s guess. Maybe they’ll start sharing roasted chestnuts with opposing teams?
Miami (6-6) (at JAX, at TEN, vs. HOU, vs. PIT) — These next two roadies are going to be awfully tough for the Fish. I liked what I saw from Chad Henne today, but the Pats can’t get to the quarterback.
Jets (6-6) (at TB, vs. ATL, at IND, vs. CIN) — They don’t pay me to work you into a frenzy, but I love this slate. Nothing against the Bucs, but the Jets are a better team. The Falcons are banged up and reeling and that’s a southern dome team playing outside on Dec. 20 at the Meadowlands. I have the Colts winning their next two, so they’ll have home-field advantage wrapped up by then. So how about the Bengals coming here on Sunday, Jan. 3, with a playoff berth at stake for the Jets — sound like an NBC flex game?
This is a season for hope and dreams, so don’t lose yours.

Jets v. Bills Postgame

2009-12-04T14:53:00.000-05:00

Jets- 19
Bills- 13

Record:

Jets: 6-6

The Jets entered this game with a must win mentality if the playoffs are even going to be a distant thought. The game went according to plan as Thomas Jones and the Jets running game racked up huge yardage against a bad Bills run defense. The Jets defense came to play and was able to put consistent pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick. The only negative of this game comes in the form of injury. Mark Sanchez sprained his right knee in the game (an injury I think he suffered a few weeks back) and is questionable to play next week. The playoff picture for the Jets is starting to become a little clearer. For a better than average chance to make the playoffs the Jets will have to win their remaining 4 games. This involves matchups against the Colts, Falcons, and Bengals. That stretch of games to finish the season should show us what kind of team these guys really are.

Thumbs Up:

Thomas Jones continued his amazing season with 109 yards on 23 carries as he eclipsed 1,000 yards. In my opinion, the Jets didn't give the ball to Jones enough in this game. He was cutting through the Bills defense with ease on many occasions and picking up 10+ yards. Jones is a professional runner and really knows how to wait for the holes to open up. I am hopeful that he will be back next year. Expect to see even more of Jones next week as the Jets take on the Bucs with a hurt Mark Sanchez.

Darelle Revis shut down Terrell Owens just like he has every other top receiver he has faced. Owens finished with 3 catches for 31 yards and was largely a non-factor as Revis was in man coverage all day. He easily could have had a second interception if he had not dropped a deep ball from Fitzpatrick.

David Harris and Shaun Ellis were busy on Thursday night as they put great pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick. Harris finished with 11 tackles and a strip sack and Ellis continued his run of good play with a 2 sack game. The only way the Jets will have success against Matt Ryan, Carson Palmer, and Peyton Manning down the stretch is by putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the quarterback.

Thumbs Down:

This one is almost too easy. Braylon Edwards dropped the easiest touchdown opportunity he will get or probably ever has gotten in his entire life. The defender lost coverage and was a good 10 yards behind Edwards when he dropped Sanchez's bomb which was placed right over his shoulder. Edwards blamed the drop on the light but he has to make that catch.

Watching Kerry Rhodes attempt to tackle is sickening. His method of tackling seems to be doing a half turn and attacking the ball carrier with the back part of his right shoulder. One of his attempts to bring down Marshawn Lynch last night was laughable. Rhodes has the physical tools to be a great player but he needs to worth with somebody in the offseason on his tackling.

Kellen Clemens showed last night why sticking with Mark Sanchez is a great idea. Clemens never looked comfortable and there was absolutely no threat of the pass when he was in the game. He almost fumbled the snap when the Jets were attempting to run out the clock and really had no positive impact while in the game.

Game Thoughts:

Overall, this was the kind of game I was expecting last night with a solid rushing attack, a good defense, and an uninspired crowd. The Jets need a lot of help in order to get into the playoffs this year but at least we are moving in the right direction. Playoffs or not, this team has an opportunity to establish an identity with a string of games against good teams on the horizon (after the Tampa game). The way the Jets perform in those games will be indicative of our expectations heading into next year.

Jets v. Bills Pregame

2009-12-02T22:36:00.000-05:00

The Jets extremely small playoff chances are on the line yet again on a nationally televised game against the Bills tomorrow night. The Jets come into this game at 5-6 and surprisingly only 1 game out of the 6th and final playoff spot. The problem with this picture is that there are multiple teams at 6-5 and other teams at 5-6. The Jets need to keep taking these games one at a time and it continues with the Bills this week.

What to watch for...

What kind of crowd will we see for this game? The game is being played in a dome in Toronto which will take away any advantage that the Bills would have had from playing in the freezing cold up in Buffalo. It will also take away home field advantage which should be huge. Sanchez should throw better in the dome than he would have in Buffalo.

I am interested in seeing if Rex Ryan's offensive takeover will continue to show positive results this week. Ryan took partial control of the offense last week in order to make things easier for Mark Sanchez and it worked out great. One of the major games that influenced this takeover was Sanchez's 5 interception performance against Buffalo the last time these two teams played. If Sanchez can protect the ball and continue making smart decisions it should result in positive results for the Jets.

Kerry Rhodes responded to his benching last week by getting his first 2 interceptions of the season. Ryan has stated that Eric Smith will still be the starter but Rhodes will be put in as the starter in a few more packages than last week. I feel extremely comfortable with this new safety rotation as Smith is a much better tackler while Rhodes is better in pass coverage. If Rhodes can keep up his good play I think he will regain the starting job soon.

REDUCING TURNOVERS: This one is simple enough. The Jets cannot turn the ball over if they want to win this game. This goes beyond Sanchez. Last week Keller fumbled into the end zone for a touchback and Greene fumbled inside the Panthers 30 yard line. Without these 2 turnovers this game would not have been close.

Who to watch for....

Mark Sanchez is the reason the Jets lost the last Buffalo game. The Jets almost managed to win the game despite his 5 turnovers. The Jets will have a very good chance of winning this game if Sanchez can limit his turnovers and protect the ball on offense.

Thomas Jones will have to keep up his great season in order to take pressure off Sanchez. My prediction: If Jones rushes for over 100 yards in this game the Jets will win. The Jets need to open up with a solid rushing attack to take the pressure off of Sanchez. The offensive line will have to open holes to allow Jones to get going early.

Darelle Revis is looking to continue his dominant season after an amazing game last week. Revis caught more balls than Steve Smith last week and finished with 2 interceptions and a touchdown. This week Revis will have the task of containing Terrell Owens. Owens has been on a very good roll recently and Revis will have to shut down the long ball. At this point, I don't doubt that Revis can do anything.

Game Thoughts:

The Jets should win this game pretty convincingly. I think that the Jets have both a better offense and a better defense than the Bills and the Bills have lost all home field advantage. However, the Bills have been playing inspired football since the firing of Dick Jauron and they will be a tough opponent in front of a national tv audience. (or as close to national as you can get on NFL Netowork) Revis should shut down Owens and Sanchez should limit his turnovers. If both of these things happen the Jets will win.

Game Prediction:

Jets- 21
Bills- 6

Jets v. Panthers Postgame

2009-11-29T22:36:00.000-05:00

Jets- 17
Panthers- 6

Jets: 5-6

Again, I am going to keep the postgame writeup short as I missed most of the game because I was on the train back to school and it's tough to do a detailed writeup after watching the play by play on a blackberry. A few players I want to point out:

Kerry Rhodes responded from is benching and came up with 2 interceptions. The Jets pressure was able to make Delhomme throw off his back foot and Rhodes was in the right place at the right time. His replacement today, Eric Smith, also played a great game and led the team in tackles. We will see who ends up starting next week.

Darelle Revis is the best cornerback in the league and he showed it again with 2 interceptions today while shutting down star receiver Steve Smith. Revis has now shut down Randy Moss (twice), Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, Terrell Owens, and Darius Heyward-Bey (just kidding).

Those are the two standout players for me from this one and I am sure I would have had more if I had the chance to watch the game. The Jets will play on Thursday night against the Bills to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

Jets v. Panthers Pregame

2009-11-29T02:08:00.000-05:00

The Jets enter this game with a 4-6 record and very low playoff expectations. Star safety Kerry Rhodes has been benched and Mark Sanchez has shown some serious question marks with poor decision making and turnovers. However, this week also brings another opportunity for the Jets to pull themselves out of their recent string of losses and finally get a win against a solid opponent. The playoffs are a long shot for the Jets at this point but the development of the team is at stake in the next few weeks.

What to watch for....

Will the crowd even show up for this game? With the Jets on their current losing streak I would be surprised to see much of an effort by the crowd to get into this game. This should take away some of the home field advantage that the Jets have enjoyed for the first half of the year. The fans are getting tired of this team quickly and the Jets need to do something to energize the fans of this franchise.

How will Kerry Rhodes handle his benching? Rhodes was benched earlier this week by head coach Rex Ryan which is a move that fans have been screaming for all year. Rhodes has been extremely unproductive since signing his huge deal a year ago. He hasn't made any big plays this year and the fans and the coaching staff have seen a need for a change. Rhodes needs to take this benching like a man and keep working hard and if he does that he will see the field again soon.

The battle of Darelle Revis vs. Steve Smith should be an extremely interesting one. Revis has managed to shut down top receivers such as Andre Johnson, Randy Moss (twice), and Terrell Owens but this could be his toughest test. Smith is fast, small, and has great hands and he could prove to be a challenge for Revis is Delhomme is able to throw an accurate pass.

Who to watch for....

Braylon Edwards has been quiet for a few weeks and will need to step up big and make some catches. He had a key drop on a third down last week on a ball that hit him in the chest and that cannot happen if he hopes to stay with this franchise past next year. He needs to start establishing himself as Mark Sanchez's top target over the next couple of weeks.

Eric Smith is going to get another chance to prove himself as a starting safety filling in for the benched Kerry Rhodes. Despite getting a lot of starting playing time under the Eric Mangini regime Smith has seen his starting job taken away as he has taken on a hybrid look in the Ryan defense. This week he will get his chance to start and I am interested if his success in the hybrid role will carry over to the starting safety job.

Dustin Keller is going to have to play an increased role in the offense for Mark Sanchez. Keller has seen his role increased in the last couple of weeks and he will have to continue his stellar play in order to give Sanchez a big target down the middle of the field.

Game Thoughts:

I think the Jets should win this game in a tight one. If Thomas Jones can be established early and Sanchez comes out sharp this could be a blowout as the Jets defense should be able to shut down Jake Delhomme and the Panthers offense. However, with Sanchez's recent play there is no doubt that if he starts turning the ball over this one should be extremely close. The Jets on defense will have to shut down the running game and make Delhomme beat them.

Game Prediction:

Jets- 21
Pathers- 17

Jets v. Patriots Postgame

2009-11-25T02:04:00.000-05:00

I am going to keep this one short and sweet since I have had a busy week and haven't gotten a chance to write my usual long game recap. The Jets fell behind early and really gave themselves no chance to win this game. The blocked punt at the end of the first half gave the Jets some life heading into halftime but it was to little to late. The defense came out to play in the second half and Sanchez was able to make a few plays but it wasn't enough to mount a comeback against the Pats. The Jets came into this game with extremely low playoff hopes and exited the game with even lower ones.

We entered the game watching the progression of Sanchez. He did not play a good game in this one and there are even thoughts that he should have been pulled. He will need to start showing some better progression in the coming weeks to instill hope in Jets fans again.

Jay Glazer has reported on his twitter that Kerry Rhodes is going to be benched this week. More details to come.

Jets v. Patriots Pregame

2009-11-22T14:18:00.001-05:00

We have reached the point in the season where at 4-5 the Jets playoff chances are pretty much non existent. However, I always keep some sort of faith as long as it is a possibility. If the Jets can pull of a highly improbable win today in New England they can pull within a game of 1st place and hold the tie breaker over the Patriots. This game is going to come down to whether the Jets defense can rebound from a terrible game next week and contain a very very good Patriots offense. Again, the one player I am concerned with the Jets containing is Kevin Faulk. This guy always seems to find ways to beat us and is prolific on third down. The Jets can't allow Maroney or Faulk to get going because if the Patriots have both the running game and the passing game going they will be impossible to stop. Mike Devito has been great filling in for Kris Jenkins and he will have to continue that today.

What to watch for....

The fire alarm at the Jets hotel was pulled last night at 1 A.M last night. I am no conspiracy theorist but here is what few of the Jets players had to say:

The Jets will have to come out strong early and take the crowd out of the game. The fans will be pumped for this one after the Jets beat them earlier in the season. If the Jets can open the game with either a long touchdown drive or a quick defensive stop it could do wonders for their confidence and take the crowd out of the game early.

Rex Ryan has shown that he is a rookie coach so far this year but he will have to be on top of his game if he hopes to outsmart Bill Belichick.

Who to watch for...

Darelle Revis will once again be given the task of containing Randy Moss. Moss had a huge game last week and will be looking to get back at Revis who shut him down in Week 2. Revis has shut down pretty much every big time receiver he has faced this season and there is no reason to think he can do it again today.

Mark Sanchez is going to have to deal with figuring out an improved Patriots defense from Week 2. Belichick will have schemes designed to confuse the rookie quarterback and try to expose his weaknesses. Sanchez will have to be on top of his game at 4 PM today.

Kerry Rhodes has faced a ton of criticism from Jets fans in recent weeks about his lack of big plays. He always seems to get to plays a second too late and is never in a position to make a big interception. If Rhodes can break out of his slump and make a big play in this game it could be a turning point in the game.

Game Thoughts:

I think the Patriots will come out and show that they are the best team in the AFC East. They should handle a Jets team that is struggling in all aspects of the game. If the Jets can keep this close by halftime they may have a chance to gain some momentum and win this game. However, look for the Patriots offense to come out on fire and this could get ugly early.

Game Prediction:

Patriots- 28
Jets- 13

Jets v. Jaguars Postgame

2009-11-15T17:37:00.000-05:00

Jags- 24
Jets- 22

Record: 4-5

I never knew how many ways there were to lose a football game until watching this Jets season. This team does not play with discipline and is clearly not a good football team. As each week unfolds more and more question marks appear. Every part of this team came out flat this week. Sanchez and the offense never looked like they got on track and turned the ball over 3 times. It started from the first play of the game with the interception down the field. The defense flat out blew this game by giving up a huge game to Jones-Drew and not being able to come up with a stop when the Jets took the lead at the end of the game. This season has completely turned around and is now about watching how Sanchez develops.

Thumbs up:

Dustin Keller made 6 catches for 58 yards and played a very good game. He seemed to be the only receiver who could get open with any consistency. After a very slow start Keller has come on strong in recent weeks with some great performances.

Thumbs Down:

Brian Schottenheimer called a terrible game today. He has been very up and down with his play calling this year and I have not been very critical because I hate second guessing play calling. However, the long play action pass (which resulted in an interception) to start the game was not necessary. We have a good running game which we should have used right from the beginning to wear them down. The reverse pass to Braylon Edwards was stupid and also not necessary. We were moving the ball well and that play almost resulted in an interception.

The defense was horrendous. They needed one stop to win the game and allowed the Jags to not only get into field goal range but to get down to the 1 yard line. With all the talk that comes from Bart Scott, Kerry Rhodes and other members of the Jets defense they are showing that they are not as good as they think they are. Teams have figured out how to beat Rex Ryan's blitz schemes and this defense is not effective when there is no pressure on the quarterback.

Mark Sanchez needs to make better decisions and better throws. The interception on the screen pass was a terrible throw and the interception on the first play of the game was underthrown to a potential open receiver. The rest of the season is about watching Sanchez's development since this is no longer a team that can even think about the playoffs.

Game Thoughts:

The fact that I could only think of one person for the "Thumbs Up" portion of this entry defines how this game went. There wasn't anybody other than Keller and maybe Jay Feely that I felt played a good enough game to deserve any praise. The Jets were outcoached and outplayed in every single aspect of the game. They couldn't stop the run which allowed Garrard to have a great game passing the ball. The offense never got in sync and looked absolutely terrible. This season is over as far as any hopes of the playoffs go. However, the rest of the season is about addressing the question marks that continue to pop up with the passing of every week.

Jets v. Jaguars Pregame

2009-11-14T19:37:00.000-05:00

The Jets will return home on Sunday after a week hiatus to play the 4-4 Jaxonville Jaguars. The Jets come into this game in a must win situation if they want any hopes of the playoffs. The first half of the season was riddled with some great play and some problems that are going to have to disappear if this team wants any chance at the division or a wild card spot. With 8 games still to play there is plenty of time for the Jets to get back into the playoff race. However, with a loss to the Jaguars those hopes will be essentially eliminated and criticism will start to fall on Rex Ryan and the rest of this team. If the Jets can pull off a win at 1:00 PM tomorrow and the Colts can beat the Patriots at home on Sunday night the Jets and Pats will be set up to play a game for the division next weekend in Foxboro.

What to watch for....

Can the Jets defense contain Maurice Jones-Drew? He has been amazing this year and is racking up a ton of yards and touchdowns. The Jets defense has been stout all year and should be able to contain Drew. Without Jenkins in the middle the Jets will have to rely on Pouja and Howard Green in the middle to cut down on any potential running lanes.

How will the Jets perform off the bye week? A mark of any great coach is his record when his team is coming off the bye. The Jets have had two weeks to prepare for the Jaguars and I expect this to be a big advantage to the Jets. Rex Ryan is one of the best defensive minds in the game and giving him two weeks to plan against an offense is a huge advantage for the Jets. Brian Schottenheimer should have the offense ready with some new wrinkles and I can guarantee that we will not see another special teams performance like we did last week from Mike Westhoff's unit.

The crowd is going to be huge in this game. The Jets have faltered lately and they are going to need the crowd and the fans to stay behind them as they attempt to recover. This season is far from over and the 1-4 run we are on can be easily reversed in the next few weeks. The Jets defense thrives off the crowd noise disrupting the opposing quarterback.

Who to watch for..

Thomas Jones should be able to have a field day against the league's 22nd ranked rushing defense. Jones is going to see a ton of carries in this one as the Jets will continuously give him the ball and hope he can wear down the Jags defenders. Shonn Greene should see caries in this one but I think his role will be slightly reduced after the fumble last weekend.

Bart Scott and David Harris are going to have to do a good job plugging up the holes in the middle to stop Jones-Drew. The Jags have the league's #8 rushing offense and if the Jets hope to win this one they will have to shut down the run.

Mark Sanchez needs to step it up as the Jags also struggle to stop the pass. Thankfully, the weather is going to be in the high 50's and low 60's which should help Sanchez out a lot. He likes throwing in the warm weather (going back to his days at USC) and that should be a huge plus for the Jets.

Game Thoughts:

I think the Jets have a clear advantage in most aspects of this game. However, I have also said this about the games against Buffalo and Miami this year and those have resulted in 3 of the 4 losses. The key to this game is avoiding a complete breakdown by one of the units. It seems to be a different unit every weekend with the Jets as the one always blows the game. Every game is getting more important as we enter the second half of the season. If the Jets can find a way to beat the Jaguars and the Patriots lose it would set up a game for the division the following week. This would energize the Jets fan base and players and should provide a spark for the rest of the second half.

Game Prediction:

Jets- 21
Jags- 10

Around the NFL

2009-11-09T03:00:00.000-05:00

Few things about the games today for Jets fans to think about:

The Patriots-Dolphins game was tough to watch with how much I hate both teams. I posted a few days ago that we should root for the Dolphins to win this game. This would have knocked the Patriots down closer to the Jets. However, a Patriots win today does provide its advantages. This essentially knocks the Dolphins out of any playoff chase with a 3-5 record. If the Jets can take care of their business against the Jaguars next week and the Colts can beat the Patriots at home it will set up a Jets-Patriots showdown in Foxboro for the division lead.

The Chargers late comeback against the Giants this week is disappointing because of wild card implications. The Giants had this game won before Phillip Rivers went on a tear in the final minutes and led them back.

The Bengals beating the Ravens was a good thing. We want to knock the Ravens out of the playoff chase because we have a head to head matchup with the Bengals later in the season.

The Jets aren't the only New York team which is in the midst of a tumble down the standings. The Giants have gone from being an elite team in the NFL to losing 4 straight and falling behind the Cowboys and Eagles in the division. They do not look good right now and their defense is going to have to improve if they want to start winning games

Who To Root for this Weekend?

2009-11-06T21:24:00.000-05:00

So, your a Jets fan and its the bye week.. what do you do?

The Dolphins/Patriots matchup provides an excellent AFC East battle to watch on Sunday afternoon. However, how do you evaluate who to root for as a Jets fan? Here is my analysis. ROOT FOR THE DOLPHINS. After halfway through the season there is no reason to give up on the division just yet. With a loss this weekend to the Dolphins the Patriots will have a 5-3 record and will be playing the Colts in a very tough game. This could put the Patriots at 5-4 going into the Jets game.

Now, the Jets have the bye this week and play the Jaguars next week in a game where the Jets should be favored. If the Jets can beat the Jaguars they have the potential of going into the New England game for the division lead.

So, as you sit down and watch football this weekend and are puzzled on who to root for in this AFC East matchup. Put your hatred aside and root for the Dolphins. The main goal for the season is winning the division. You can't give up on that goal after 8 games and focus on the wild card; I don't care how good the Patriots are playing.

I will have more commentary in an "Around the NFL" section on Sunday. Enjoy the games and the week off Jets fans.

Jets-Dolphins Postgame

2009-11-02T16:37:00.000-05:00

Dolphins- 30
Jets- 25

Jets- 4-4

Things have gone bad for the Jets as they drop to .500 with a 4-4 record. After a 3-0 start many fans, including myself, raised their expectations from expecting an 8-8 or 9-7 season to expecting 11-12 wins. This week proved yet again why Jets fans need to lower their expectations and attempt to enjoy the development of the quarterback of the future, Mark Sanchez. The Jets last three losses have come by a combined 12 points against division opponents. This game was equally, if not more, painful as the other Dolphins loss because of the way the Jets dominated the Dolphins in every phase of the game other than special teams. As a Jets fan, the one unti we always know we can rely on are our special teams. Mike Westhoff is a genius on ST and we never expect that unit to lose us any games. However, yesterday the special teams was the sole reason that the Jets lost the game. Tedd Ginn is extremely fast and is a very crafty return man. However, you cannot lose contain on him twice in one game. There are a few specifics about this that I will get into a little more later in the post. As a Jets fan, you expect this kind of disappointment. We have had opportunities to win the game in every loss we have had this year, especially the past three weeks but one unit of the team always lets us down. This team is better than its 4-4 record but at this point that doesn't really matter because playoff hopes are slowly deteriorating. The AFC has some very good teams and the Patriots are playing some of their best football right now.

Game Ball:

Mark Sanchez showed tremendous poise in the second half to keep the Jets in the game. He had to come out with little rest in the third and fourth quarters and lead a Jets team down the field that kept surrendering kick return and fumble return touchdowns. The throw down the sideline to Edwards for the touchdown was a great throw in a perfect spot which gave Edwards a chance to make a play. I really liked the way he spread the ball around between Keller, Edwards, and Cotchery and he really got everyone involved. I couldn't have asked for any more out of Sanchez in this game.

Thumbs Up:

Dustin Keller has had an extremely disappointing season so far but he finally broke out with a huge game. He finished with 8 receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. However, he made two catches which were absolutely incredible. First, the touchdown catch was incredible and looked better every time I saw it on replay. Second, the catch on 4th and 10 in the final minutes showed that Keller has the hands and awareness. He went up in a group of Dolphins and came down with the ball even as he was being interfered with. Great game by Keller and I think we saw a little bit of what we are going to see for years to come.

Thomas Jones was called upon to carry the ball 27 times in the game and finished with 103 yards. Although this isn't a good YPC average, the Dolphins are a physical, good run stopping team and the fact that Jones carried the ball 27 times and ran hard every time makes me feel like he deserves praise for his efforts. In my opinion, he should have been given the ball on the 2nd and 6 inside the 10 in the final minutes. When a running game is working as well as it was on that final drive I think you need to pound it inside and hope that he can find a crease.

The pass rush in this game was great and was major reason why the Jets were able to contain the wildcat. The Dolphins were sacked 6 times and the Jets bottled up the wildcat with no problem. The one thing I noticed this week about the wildcat is how the linebackers were able to key in on their gaps and were not blown off the ball like in the first Miami game.

Thumbs Down:

Special teams.. special teams.. special teams. What else is there to say? Tedd Ginn returned back to back kickoffs for touchdowns right as the Jets were starting to gain momentum in the game. I noticed a few things about this. First, Jay Feely needs to do a better job hanging back as the "safety" in the special teams unit. He can't be flying up and breaking contain because he wants to make a tackle. He did this on the first two returns and actually made the tackle and I think this caused him to get a little overexcited on the two returns. He needs to be back there to at least slow Ginn down to give somebody a chance to make a tackle. Second, the tackling on the second kickoff return was horredous. Ginn sidestepped two defenders at the 20 and had practically stopped moving before breaking the contain to the outside and outrunning everybody down the sideline. When a guy is forced to stop and change direction on a kick return there is no excuse for not bringing him down. Somebody has to get in there and at least trip him up. Third, Danny Woodhead is not ready to be a special teams contributer. He didn't look good on either return and this showed why we need Brad Smith and Ahmad Carroll activated to play kickoff return defensive roles. Special teams is the reason that the Jets lost this game.

Shonn Greene goes from hero to goat in just one game. The second the ball he fumbled ended up in Jason Taylors hands it was a sure touchdown and really put a dagger through any hopes the Jets had of coming back. Although the Jets ended up coming alive offensively it is inexcusable to give a team that kind of easy touchdown. Greene needs to secure the ball and not give up costly fumbles if he hopes to keep getting more carries.

Rex Ryan probably should not have gone for the two point conversion late in the game. I hate to second guess like this because you can say that if Ryan kicks the XP than Sparano wouldn't have gone for 2 on their TD drive and the score would have still been a 5 point difference.

Game Thoughts:

I said before the game that this was the biggest game of the season so far and I think the Jets played well enough in 2 of the 3 phases of the game to win. The offense came alive in the second half and the defense was able to get consistent pressure on Henne and stop the wildcat offense. 95% of the time when a team wins both the offensive and defensive battles they win the game. However, special teams cannot be ignored and the Dolphins special teams played great while the Jets special teams was horrendous. This game was disappointing and I believe at 4-4 every game becomes a must win. The Jets have a bye next week and the team will have 6 days off before preparing for the Jaguars. I will probably have more to say later in the week about any developments that come out of Ryan's press conferences.

Jets v. Dolphins Pregame

2009-11-01T12:40:00.000-05:00

The Jets come back home today to play their biggest game of the season so far against the Miami Dolphins and the wildcat offense. A few weeks ago Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams ran wild and defeated the Jets in a shocking loss on Monday Night Football. Can the Jets keep up what the accomplished last week or will they revert back to the way there were playing against the Dolphins and Bills?

What to watch for...

The Jets will have to stop the wildcat offense in order to win this game. Ronnie Brown made a great point this week when he said that the, "toughest 11 guys are going to win this game." The Jets will have to be very tough up front in order to contain this gimmick offense. The problem with the wildcat is it allows the Dolphins to get in 3rd-and-short situations which makes it easy for Chad Henne. If Rex Ryan can draw up a scheme to stop the wildcat it will go a long way in assuring a Jets win.

Can the Jets running attack keep up their stellar effort of the last two weeks? Without Leon Washington, Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones will have to keep up what they did against the Raiders last week if they want any chance to win this game. The Jets ran for 300 yards each of the last two weeks and they will have to do more of the same in an hour or so.

The crowd could play at huge factor in this game as it is Chad Henne's first ever road NFL start. This seems to be less of a factor for Henne than it would for other quarterbacks as he played at Michigan and has dealt with many hostile crowds. However, the pressure of the NFL spotlight as well as 70,000 screaming people could disrupt his rhythm and flow that he has developed through three home starts.

Players to Watch:

Shonn Greene will have to do a good job of filling in for Leon Washington. Greene had a breakout game last week with over 150 yards and 2 touchdowns and will need to do more of the same so the Jets can control the clock and keep the ball out of the Dolphin's hands. Greene should get 10-15 touches (with Jones getting 20 or so) and he will have to make the most of them.

The Jets receivers will play a huge factor in this game as the Dolphins are starting two rookie CB's. Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery are finally seeing the field together while completely healthy and I expect big things against a depleted Dolphins secondary.

Mark Sanchez will appear on this list until he proves he is back throwing the ball well against a good team. Sanchez managed the game well against a bad Raiders team last week but I need to see what he can do against the Dolphins. He CANNOT make mistakes.

Game Thoughts:

I am skeptical that the Jets can stop the Dolphins and the wildcat offense. The loss of Kris Jenkins is huge and I cannot see the Jets escaping the 3rd-and-short situations that will take the crowd out of the game. Sanchez will have to manage the game well and the offensive line will have to open up big holes for Jones and Greene to run through. One exciting aspect of this game which I didn't comment on is the return of Justin Miller as a kick returner. I am excited to see what he can do.

Prediction:

Jets: 17
Dolphins: 21

Leon Washington

2009-10-26T21:38:00.000-04:00

As a Jets fan we can't seem to have a week without disappointment. Even in the 38-0 win yesterday afternoon the Jets lost Leon Washington for the season with a compound fracture in his leg. This injury came on Leon Washington's first carry and about 20 minutes after I took the tag off the brand new jersey which I wore for the first time yesterday. Leon Washington is one of the most electric players I have ever seen and I will miss watching him greatly for the rest of this season. Washington is easily my favorite Jets player and I hope he will return next season with a new contract. This will become a huge issue in the offseason as Leon denied a long term contract of 4.5 million dollars in the off-season because he was looking for around 6. I am predicting that Leon will sign a 1-2 year deal this offseason which is heavily backloaded to protect the Jets investment.

As a huge Leon fan, I am hoping that this isn't the last time we see him in a Jets uniform.

Jets v. Raiders Postgame

2009-10-25T19:16:00.000-04:00

Jets- 38
Raiders-0

Record- 4-3

The Jets responded with a great game against a terrible Oakland Raiders team. The running game was great as both Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene rushed for over 100 yards and the offensive line opened up holes for them all day. As I said before the game, I predicted that the Jets would scale down Sanchez's responsibilities and not put the game on his arm. The Jets were great at forcing turnovers in this game and knocked out JaMarcus Russell before the first half ended. However, with all the positives there are a few negatives coming out of this game. It looks like Leon Washington will miss extended time and could be done for the season. The injury looked terrible and he was taken off on a cart and taken to an area hospital. Early predicitons are that he may have torn his ACL. I will have more on this when we get a report on the actual injury and the time he will miss.

Game Ball:

This could go to a number of different people but the player of this game was Calvin Pace. Pace ended up with 7 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He started off the game with a forced fumble which set up the first touchdown run by Thomas Jones and stopped a Raiders drive in Jets territory with another strip sack. Pace got a ton of pressure on the quarterback and seems to be back at full speed after a few subpar games after coming back from the suspension.

Thumbs Up:

Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene turned in great games. Jones ended up with 121 yards and 1 touchdown and Greene rushed for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jones has a second straight huge game rushing after going for over 200 yards last week. Greene really showed what he could do after the Jets lost Leon Washington to injury after just one carry. Greene impressed me with the way he hits the hole and that he doesn't seem to go down after the first hit. Both of these backs had incredible games and with the loss of Washington they will both have to keep up this effort in upcoming games.

Bill Calahan and the offensive line had great games. Calahan, the offensive line coach, has really done a great job with the line over the last few weeks. He has designed schemes which have opened numerous holes for any running back that has the ball. The offensive line played great today and allowed Greene and Jones to get to the second level without being touched on numerous occasions. They are going to have to keep up this effort next week as Miami has a better front seven than both the Bills and the Raiders.

Mark Sanchez managed this game very well. After last weeks performance everybody was worried about how he would handle this game. He ended up 9/15 for 143 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown throw was a great pass down the sideline to Clowney (who also had a great game). Sanchez is benefiting from a great running game right now and as long as he manages the game well and does not turn the ball over I am confident that he can do well and lead this team to wins.

Mike Westhoff and Steve Weatherford. Rarely does a punter make any "thumbs up" list in an NFL game (unless you are the Raiders) but the fake punt by Weatherford was great and the scheme by Westhoff was even better. The Raiders looked like they were blocking for Weatherford rather than trying to tackle him as he went down the middle of the field.

Thumbs Down:

Injuries were huge in this game. Leon Washington went down with a terrible injury and we will see in the coming days how bad that injury actually is. My prediction is that we do not see Washington in a Jets uniform again this year. The loss of Jenkins last week and Leon this week are huge hits to this team. Bart Scott and Howard Green also went down and we will learn more about these injuries in the press conference.

Game Thoughts:

There wasn't much negative to take out of this game other than the injury to Leon Washington. The Jets handed the Raiders their worst home shutout loss in team history and both the offense and defense had great games. Calvin Pace was excellent on defense and Shonn Greene played great in his first extended action at running back. Next weeks game against Miami is going to be huge and could make or break the season. More about that in the coming days.

Jets v. Raiders Pregame

2009-10-25T14:18:00.001-04:00

The Jets travel down to Oakland today to take on the Raiders in a showdown of struggling teams. The Jets have lost three straight and are reeling after losing Kris Jenkins for the year. The game with Oakland poses a lot of questions for the Jets. Will they be able to stop the run without Jenkins? Will Sanchez be able to rebound from an absolutely terrible performance last week? How will the loss of Jenkins effect the rest of the defense? All of these questions should be answered (in part) at 4 PM in Oakland. The Jets have traditionally struggled in Oakland and this will be a very tough game.

What to watch for...

The Jets defense will have to survive without the key man in the middle, Kris Jenkins. Jenkins is the best nose tackle in the NFL and him being out will dramatically effect the performance of the rest of the defense. Oakland will attempt to run the ball right at the Jets all day. Darren McFadden is out for this game which is definitely good news for the Jets. Jenkins was amazing this year and he will be sorely missed.

How will the scheme change? Without Jenkins in the middle the defensive scheme will have to change. I expect to see more 4-3 fronts as the Jets will attempt to stop the run on the early downs and force the Raiders into 3rd and long situations. If they can force 3rd and long the Jets will go back to their 3-4 defense and put a lot of pressure on JaMarcus Russell. The key to this game will be stopping the run early, forcing 3rd and longs and making Russell actually throw the ball.

Sanchez was talked to by coaches, Tony Richardson, and Alan Faneca about the body language he showed during his terrible 5 interception performance last weekend. He has said that he has to stop getting too low with the negative and too high with the positive. He will need a cool head in this game as the Jets have always struggled in Oakland. Oakland is coming off a big win last week against the Eagles and they will have confidence that they can repeat.

Players to Watch...

Mark Sanchez will have to rebound after blowing the game last week with a 5 interception performance. Oakland has not been a good football team this season but they will have confidence after shutting down Donovan McNabb and the Eagles last week. Sanchez needs to settle back into the rhythm that he was in the first few weeks. Ibelieve that Rex Ryan and Brian Schottenheimer have scaled down his responsibilities this week which should allow him to focus more on making good reads and throws.

Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are going to get a lot of carries in this game as the Jets will try to win this game on the ground. As I said before, Sanchez will have his responsibilities scaled down and this will put extra pressure on Jones and Washington to have repeat performances as last week where they combined for over 300 yards on the ground.

Sione Pouha will have to play a great game to replace Jenkins in the middle. If the Jets hope to create any pressure out of a 3-4 front Pouha will have to do at least half the job that Jenkins has been doing the first 6 weeks. Pouha is not even half the player that Jenkins is but his play will be key if the Jets hope to create any pressure as well as stop the run.

Game Thoughts:

I think the Jets will win this game for the simple fact that the Raiders offense is not very good. If the Jets can put up some points early they shouldn't have a problem holding the Raiders defensively and winning this game. The key will be stopping the run which has been difficult for the Jets to do so far this year. If JaMarcus Russell has to win the game by throwing the ball I have no doubt in my mind that the Jets can take it.

Game Prediction:

Jets: 13
Raiders: 7

Jenkins Out

2009-10-19T18:35:00.000-04:00

News comes today that Kris Jenkins, the Jets most important defensive player, has a torn acl and is done for the season. Jenkins is the most important player on the Jets defense. At 350 pounds he dominates the middle of the line and requires at least two people to block him every single down. This opens up lanes for the Jets other pass rushers to get to the quarterback and stop the run. Jenkins has had an amazing season so far and was consistently getting 2-3 yards into the backfield before the running back even had the ball. Jenkins will be sorely missed and I think this will provide a new challenge to Rex Ryan's defense. Rex is going to have to change up his defensive scheme to hide the fact that he no longer has a big nose tackle in the middle to disrupt plays. The combination of Sione Pouja and Mike Devito are going to have to fill the gap that is left by Jenkins. Look for more 4-4 schemes out of Ryan as he will play two DT's to fill the gap left by Jenkins.

Jets v. Bills Postgame

2009-10-18T20:46:00.000-04:00

Bills- 16
Jets- 13

Jets: 3-3

I was disappointed after last weeks game against Miami but I felt that they came up with a game plan that was better than ours and were able to execute that game plan to perfection. This week, the Jets came out flat, finished the 4th quarter flat, and played in overtime like they didn't want to win the game. The penalties were outrageous, especially in overtime. It starts with Ben Hartstock and the hold on the Thomas Jones run to the 10 yard line. There is no conceivable reason in that situation to do anything close to hold the defender. The ball was inside the 25 and Jones had at least 5 yards before the guy that Hartstock held would have been able to potentially make a play. This killed the Jets first chance to win (along with a terrible botched hold) in overtime. Ihedigbo is an idiot and deserves to be taken off the active roster for next weeks game against Oakland. You do not commit personal foul penalties in overtime. That is inexcusable and if Ryan doesn't sit him down for a week I will be extremely disappointed after he sat Clowney for simply wanting to contribute to the team. Sanchez was awful. There are no words that can describe how terrible he looked on the field today. I can't think of one pass that he threw that I felt confident about and most of the time he was being bailed out by Braylon Edwards. He has to do some serious conditioning in cold weather if he wants to be a quarterback in New York. The penalties continued with defensive holding calls on Pace and false start penalties on D'brick and Keller. The fact that the Jets were less disciplined than a terrible Bills team is inexcusable and is something I have been criticizing all year. I am shocked, upset, and can honestly not believe what I just saw out of a team that I perceived to be a lot better than the way they are playing.

Game Ball:

This is probably the easiest thing in the world to give on the Jets side as there were so few good games turned in. However, Thomas Jones turned in a spectacular rushing performance with 22 carries for 210 yards and a touchdown. The two big runs early in the game were huge for the Jets and really gave the feel that they would control the rest of the game. He exploded through the holes and truly reminded Jets fans who are clambering for Shonn Greene to get many more carries why he shouldn't be overlooked the rest of the season.

Thumbs Up:

Darelle Revis seems to get mentioned in this section every week as he turned in another amazing performance against Terrell Owens. Revis was less than spectacular in the beginning with the two penalties but he rebounded later in the game to really shut down Owens. The thing I notice every week about Revis is his tackling from the cornerback position. He must be one of the top 5 best tackling cornerbacks in the league.

Leon Washington had another great game running and catching the ball. He ended up with 99 yards rushing on just 13 carries and 46 yards receiving on 3 receptions. He was hitting the holes hard and made a great play in overtime to get the ball close to field goal range for Feely.

The offensive line really rebounded after having a tough couple of weeks. The Jets gained 318 yards on the ground which is an absolutely incredible number. The holes that led to Thomas Jones' two big runs were so big that Kris Jenkins probably could have ended up with at least a 20 yard gain. The pass protection was average but the mistakes that were made cannot be blamed on offensive line play.

Thumbs Down:

I cannot even put into words how bad Mark Sanchez was today. His only job in this game was to control the clock and the ball and not allow Buffalo to have good field position. He seemed to make it his job to throw the ball to people wearing the other color jersey as many times as possible. I don't want to hear excuses like, "he's never played in cold weather" or anything like that because he has been training all week in cold weather and he has to learn how to play in inclement weather if he's going to be a quarterback in New York. For god sakes, we are in October and he is already playing poorly in this weather. What happens when its 10 degrees and snowing in December. The five interceptions were absolutely inexcusable and they were pretty much all on him. The one in overtime was incredibly stupid as the Jets could have punted and pinned the Bills way back in their own territory. At that point in the game you have to use your head a lot more than he did. There's really little else to say about this game for Sanchez other than he seems to be regressing.

Rex Ryan is the head coach of this football team and should be imposing discipline in the players. The Jets finished with 14 penalties for 96 yards which is an absolute joke. I discussed the penalties above so I won't go into those but he needs to do something to stop all these penalties from happening. I don't have the exact stats but I am sure that the Jets are near the top in the league in penalties and penalty yardage. I can't fault Ryan's gameplan defensively because the defense was put in a lot of tough situations because of how badly Mark Sanchez was throwing the ball.

Ben Hartstock blew the game with that holding call and I cannot fail to mention it here. The Jets would have had the ball inside the 25 with a field goal attempt to win the game. Instead, they had the ball at the 33 and ended up getting a botched snap/hold and forcing Weatherford to just throw the ball up which resulted in an interception and good field position for the Bills.

Game Thoughts:

I've never been so pained trying to watch a football game. (That's probably not true but you know what I mean). It seemed to me that neither team really wanted to win this game but the Bills played disciplined and safe while the Jets tried to give it away. At 3-0 and coming off three big wins we all thought this team was very good. However, these last two games have really exposed that there are serious problems with this team that have to be overcome if they are ever going to make a run at the playoffs this year.

Notes: Jenkins left with an injury and there are reports that it may be severe which would be terrible for the Jets defense.

Jets v. Bills Pregame

2009-10-16T14:41:00.000-04:00

The Jets will return home after two weeks to take on their division rival the Buffalo Bills. The Jets are coming off an extremely disappointing Monday night performance against the Miami Dolphins and the Bills are coming off an even worse loss against the Cleveland Browns in a game where neither team seemed to want to win. The word out of the Jets this week is that they are moving on and forgetting about last week. The Bills come into the Meadowlands playing some of the worst football in the NFL. They lost a game last week where they only allowed 2 completed passes by the opposing quarterback. The Jets should have their way with them at 1 P.M. Sunday but anything can happen in division matchups.

What to watch for:

Can the Jets grab the momentum early? An early lead should go a long way in the Jets securing this win. No game in the NFL is easy and if you allow a team like the Bills to make a few plays early it can result in them gaining momentum and potentially pulling off the upset. The Jets defense will come out attacking and they are going to force Trent Edwards to beat the blitz by passing the ball. The Bills have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL so don't expect a repeat performance of Monday night when Miami offensive lineman were blowing people off the line of scrimmage.

How will the Jets defensive leaders respond after last weeks terrible showing? Bart Scott, Kerry Rhodes, and Kris Jenkins (among others) are the key leaders of this Jets defense and I think they will be out for revenge after their poor showing in front of a national television audience. I think they will come out playing with a passion and physicality that will not allow the Bills to get any momentum. I am expecting to see a defense that looks like the one who shut down the Texans.

I was wrong about this last week but it looks like Jerricho Cotchery is really not playing in this game. He seemed to be out there as a decoy on Monday night and Sanchez was really not targeting him that much in the passing game. It appears that he aggravated the injury during the game and he has been held out of practice all week. On another injury note, Lito Sheppard will return at full strength and Donald Strickland appears to be sitting another one out as he is only back to practice in a limited capacity.

Players to watch...

Braylon Edwards came up huge in the Monday night game making several spectacular catches. I expect even better things this week as Edwards now has had a whole week and a half to study the Jets playbook. He will have to make some plays with Cotchery out and I expect the Bills to roll all their coverages to his side. This should open up some running lanes for Leon Washington and Thomas Jones.

Darelle Revis is the Jets MVP so far and should be on a short list for MVP in the league. He has played at an incredibly high level and I expect him to bottle up Terrell Owens this week. When you can only point out one bad play a cornerback has made in four weeks, you know that he is playing extraordinary. Revis is the top cornerback in the league (sorry Asomugha) and he shouldn't have a problem with Owens this Sunday.

I can guarantee that Rex Ryan did not get a lot of sleep this week after his defensive game plan blew up in his face and allowed the Dolphins to come back 3 separate times in the 4th quarter. Ryan will have an improved scheme for this week and I expect great results.

Game Thoughts:

The Bills are not a good football team and I find it hard to believe that they will come into New York and find a way to win this game. However, this is the NFL and crazy things do seem to happen every week so I will not look past this game and I don't think the Jets players are either. I am expecting huge games out of both the offense and the defense and I expect that the Bills weak offensive line will be their downfall.

Prediction:
Jets- 24
Bills- 3

Chad Henne

2009-10-15T18:38:00.000-04:00

Here's a video to make everybody feel a little better about last week....

Jets vs. Dolphins Postgame

2009-10-13T13:01:00.002-04:00

Dolphins- 31
Jets- 27

Record: 3-2

This one was painful. The Jets came out on Monday Night Football in front of a national television audience and absolutely blew this game from the very beginning. The defensive effort and game plan was horrendous and without a few excellent plays by Mark Sanchez, Braylon Edwards and the rest of the Jets offense this would have been an absolute massacre. Going into this game I expected the Jets defense to dominate Chad Henne, Ronnie Brown and the wildcat. Ryan drew up schemes last year that could do it, why not this year? I was absolutely wrong on every level. The wildcat gained something like 8 yards a carry and they kept the Jets defense off balance all day using a variation of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. The defense was incapable of getting off the field all day and the Dolphins seemed to just impose their will on the Jets defensive front.

Game Ball:

The game ball for the Jets is going to Braylon Edwards. Edwards was traded to the Jets just four days before this game and came out and played like he has been in this offense since training camp. He made a great catch on a Mark Sanchez pass down the sideline which ended up resulting in a one yard Thomas Jones run. He also forced a pass interference call on a long pass into endzone which resulted in a second Jones TD. Edwards was a playmaker on the field on offense and seemed to dispel a lot of the notions about dropped pass and inconsistency which made Jets fans nervous. Great game by Edwards and I expect a lot more in the weeks to come.

Thumbs Up:

Thomas Jones showed me more last night than I have seen from him all year. I am giving the thumbs up to Jones over Washington (despite the fact that Washington had the better game) because I have not seen that kind of effort from Jones since last year. He was hitting the holes hard and regularly ripping off gains of 5 or so yards. My major criticism of Jones this year is that he seems to hit the hole slow and has been making his offensive lineman hold their blocks too long which has resulted in numerous runs for less than two yards. I don't know what Jones did differently tonight but he seemed to be finding the running lanes and not going down on first contact. He was fighting for yards like I haven't seen in a while out of him

The punt game tonight is something that is going to be lost in the losing effort. Weathorford single-handedly kept the first Jets drive alive by running for 20 or so yards on a fake. Later in the game Brad Smith took a direct snap off a punt 10 yards up the middle for a first down after breaking a couple of tackles. These two plays were huge momentum boosters for the Jets and directly resulted in the team getting points when it looked like they were giving the ball away.

Despite the fact that the defense was terrible last night, I have to give credit to Kris Jenkins. Jenkins has cemented himself as the top 3-4 NT in the league and he was the only Jet player last night to get any pressure on Chad Henne. Jenkins shot the gap a few times in this game and stopped running plays in the backfield. The one thing that continuously impresses me about Jenkins is his ability to make a tackle while an offensive lineman is holding a block. On one play Jenkins was able to penetrate a few yards into the backfield and made a one armed tackle on Ronnie Brown while being blocked by a Dolphins OL (Jake Grove?). Jenkins was great and could have played an even larger role in ending the Dolphins scoring drive to Ginn had the ref seen the blatant hold in the middle of the field. Nevertheless, great game by Jenkins.

David Clowney had his first impact in a regular season game. He made a great 50 yard catch over the middle of the field which led to a Jets scoring drive. I hope to see more of Clowney in the lineup (pending the injury) in the coming weeks.

Thumbs Down:

Rex Ryan failed to draw up a scheme which could even remotely slow down the wildcat offense. The Dolphins beat the Jets down with it all game and were able to pick up 7-8 yards a carry without even really trying. He has to do a better job drawing up a scheme if the Jets are going to have a chance when the Dolphins come to New York.

The defensive line was absolutely embarrassed by the Dolphins offensive line. They were blown off the ball on every wildcat snap which allowed Ronnie Brown to pick running lanes and get to the second level. I haven't seen a Jets defensive line dominated like that in a very long time. Their job in the 3-4 defense is to hold their gaps and allow the linebackers to come up and make plays on the running back. When they are getting blown 3-4 yards off the line of scrimmage there is going to be no opportunity for those linebackers making plays.

The linebackers were incapable of making tackles or filling the gaps and containing the wildcat offense. It is unacceptable to give up that much yardage to a gimmick offense and I believe that the linebackers are completely at fault. I have repeatedly said that Bart Scott and David Harris are one of the top 3 best middle linebacker tandems in the league and they did not act like that at all last night. Against the wildcat offense you need to be able to gain penetration and make tackles when you have the opportunities. Calvin Pace was fairly absent during this game but I will not get too upset over this because it was his first game back and he needs to get up to speed.

Game Recap:

This game was sickening to me and many Jets fans. The team came out completely flat on defense and was incapable of stopping anything. They had plenty of opportunities to get off the field on the final drive and they were unable to stop Chad Henne and the other 18 people that seemed to take snaps at quarterback for the Dolphins. Next week the Jets have the Bills and I expect a much better outcome. I will post my reaction to Rex's press conferences throughout the week when I get over this loss and am able to listen to post game reaction without breaking something.

Jets vs. Dolphins Pregame

2009-10-11T21:25:00.002-04:00

The Jets go down to Miami on Monday night to take on Chad Henne and the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins come into the game with a 1-3 record while the Jets come in at 3-1. It has seemed like an eternity since the Jets-Saints game and a lot has happened. Calvin Pace has returned from his 4 game suspension (to be discussed more later) and the Jets have acquired the big receiver they have been looking for with the trade for Braylon Edwards. These moved bring back two guys who should play a huge part in tomorrow nights game.

A few thoughts about the game....

What impact will the wildcat have in this game? The Dolphins have run the wildcat offense with varying levels of success this year. I think the attacking defense of the Jets will not allow the wildcat to gain any momentum in this game. The Jets are going to make stopping the run their number one priority in this game like they did against the Titans. The difference is that Miami does not have a veteran quarterback who they can rely on to beat the blitz. The wildcat offense is not going to win this game for Miami.

The Jets have been one of the best teams in the NFL at getting pressure on the quarterback this year. However, this has resulted in only 4 sacks. I believe, with the return of Calvin Pace, we will start to see a lot more sacks out of this defense. It seems like most quarterbacks so far have been able to get off passes a split second before the pass rush can reach them. Pace is the best pass rusher on the team and should be able to get to the quarterback and create some sacks.

It does not seem like Jerricho Cotchery will be able to play this week based on Rex Ryan press conferences. He has been held out of practice for multiple days. This is disappointing to Jets fans (like myself) who were looking forward to seeing the Cotchery/Edwards combination on the field at the same time. These guys should open up opportunities for each other all season as defenses will not be able to roll coverages towards both of them. I think we will miss Cotchery on Monday night (if he can't play) because Miami will be able to roll coverages onto Edwards and force lesser receivers such as Brad Smith and David Clowney to step up and make plays.

Players to Watch:

The newcomers, Braylon Edwards and Calvin Pace, will get to add their talents to an already talented Jets team. Edwards should make his impact apparent right away as defenses will have to stop stacking 8 men in the box against the run. I expect the presence of Edwards on the outside to open up running lanes for Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, and Shonn Greene. Calvin Pace returning to the lineup is the most exciting move of the week for me. He has been away from the team since Week 1 and his return adds another play-maker to an already stellar Jets defense. Pace gives the Jets the ability to finish plays and get more sacks on the quarterback. This should result in more turnovers and big play for the Jets defense.

Mark Sanchez will have to rebound after a terrible performance against the Saints last Sunday. The Jets running game hasn't been performing very well so far and Rex Ryan has no hesitation in putting the ball in Sanchez's hands and letting him try to win the game.

The offensive line will have to put in a lot better performance than they did last week. Sanchez is going to need time in the pocket to throw and the Jets can't allow Joey Porter and Jason Taylor to get pressure on Sanchez all night. Also, the offensive line needs to start opening up running lanes. Jones and Washington haven't quite been the same this year as they were last and if they can open up some lanes in this game I anticipate Leon Washington having a huge game.

My Game Thoughts:

I think the Jets defense will be too much for Chad Henne and the Miami offense. Calvin Pace will be playing with a chip on his shoulder after watching the first four games from home and I expect him to wreak havoc in the backfield. Ryan will have schemes drawn up for the wildcat and I have no doubt that he knows how to defend that. The Jets offense will not have to do a whole lot to win this game. If Sanchez can protect the ball and make a few plays the Jets defense should take care of the rest.

My Game Prediction:

Jets- 17
Dolphins- 3

Welcome Braylon Edwards

2009-10-07T16:45:00.002-04:00

Braylon Edwards is now a New York Jets. In a surprise announcement today the Jets have traded WR Chansi Stuckey, LB/ST Jason Trusnik, and two undisclosed draft picks (rumored to be a 3rd and 5th round pick) for former #3 overall pick WR Braylon Edwards. Edwards will bring an element to the Jets offense that has been missing for a very long time. Edwards is a big, physical receiver who will be able to stretch the field and provide a great complement to Jerricho Cotchery.

A few reasons this is a great trade:

Defenses will have to roll coverages towards Edwards because he is such a threat at wide receiver. This will open up opportunities for Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller. These two should see great results from having Edwards on the opposite side.

Thomas Jones and Leon Washington should see less 8 man fronts on defense because there are now two legitimate threats at receiver. Before this trade defenses were able to roll coverages towards Jerricho and still keep 8 men in the box to stop the run because there was no other legitimate threat. Edwards should force teams to keep their safeties out of the box and should stop the constant run blitzes that have killed the running game this year.

Edwards is a very, very good receiver when motivated. I believe that we are looking at a situation very similar to Randy Moss a few years ago. Moss was unmotivated with the Raiders and put up a number of very bad seasons before moving on and becoming one of the top receivers in the NFL in New England. Edwards has been playing on a losing Cleveland Browns team with instability at quarterback and a lot of losing seasons. He will be stepping in to a good situation where there are veterans like Bart Scott, Kris Jenkins, Alan Faneca and others who will force him to be motivated and play hard. He could be the missing piece of the puzzle this season.

The Braylon Edwards press conference just finished and I'll put a few notes on that:

He did not talk about his recent off the field incident because it is currently a legal matter so I don't know anything more about that.

Edwards seems to be a very well spoken guy who seems like he was dying to get out of Cleveland. He was very respectful to the Browns organization but you could tell that he was very, very excited to be out of there and in a winning situation in New York.

He knows a few people on the team and is friends with Kerry Rhodes and David Harris. This should help him become a real part of this team chemistry that we have going on right now.

He talked about how he is not worried about working with a rookie QB because he has done it before in Cleveland.

Chansi Stuckey:

I feel really terrible for Stuckey going to Cleveland and a losing situation. He worked hard all offseason to become the Jets #2 target and I think he has become a much better wide receiver. Thanks for all your efforts Stuckey and I wish you luck in Cleveland.

Random Thoughts

2009-10-07T02:20:00.002-04:00

I haven't had a chance to watch the Rex Ryan press conference yet so I don't really have many comments on that at the moment. However, the one Jets note I do have is that Calvin Pace was able to report to the facility for the first time Monday morning since beginning his suspension in Week 1. This news should make Jets fans very happy and should scare opponents. This Rex Ryan defense has been missing one component in the first four games and that is a pass rusher who can pile up sacks. Pace will be turned loose on Chad Henne next week and I can't wait to see how he performs.

I'm going to deviate a little bit from the Jets here for the first time and go over the Yankees series with the Twins that starts tomorrow.

The Yankees got a break today as the Twins didn't finish their play-in game against the Tigers until close to 10 P.M. Eastern Time. This will mean the Twins will not arrive in New York and will arrive with a tired bullpen and lineup. The Yankees will start Sabathia tomorrow and he should put in a good effort against a tired Twins lineup. I see this being a fairly quick series because the Yankees are better in all facets of the game. Their pitching is far superior to the Twins as they have 3-4 starters who could be called "reliable". The lineup is also considerably better, especially with the Twins missing star slugger Justin Morneau. I predict that this will finally be the year that the Yankees will break the trend of getting ousted in the first round.

Prediction: Yankees- 3 Twins- 1

Series MVP: Mark Teixeira

Pitcher of the Series: CC Sabathia

Game Recap: Jets v. Saints

2009-10-05T23:58:00.002-04:00

Saints: 24
Jets: 10

Record: 3-1

The Jets went into the Superdome and played their worst game of the year against the NFL's best team. Sanchez had his rookie moments and the running game never got going. Darren Sharper and the rest of the Saints defense played a great game and they deserve most of the credit for yesterday's win. The positive coming out of the game for the Jets is that the defense can stop anybody. The Saints high powered offense only managed 10 points and the defense gave the Jets a chance to win the game.

Game Ball:

There is always somebody who deserves the game ball, even after a loss. Darelle Revis played another incredible game today. As Ryan said in his post game press conference, the loss was a team effort but it sure didn't seem like Revis lost this game. He is everywhere on the field and can cover any wide receiver in any position. There should be nobody doubting his abilities at this point this year. Revis played a great game against Colston.

Thumbs Up:

David Harris played another great game in the middle with 10 solo tackles and a key forced fumble against Reggie Bush that got the Jets back into the game. Without that forced fumble the Jets had no chance of making any sort of comeback in this game. Harris continues to prove that he is one of the best middle linebackers in the league with that game.

Kerry Rhodes, with 8 tackles, was much more active in this game than he has been in previous ones. He was flying to the ball and making a lot of tackles.

The rest of the defense played very well also. The Jets held the Saints to just 10 offensive points which is by far their lowest point total of the season. The defense went into a hostile environment against the best offense in the league and showed that they are Super Bowl caliber.

Thumbs Down:

Mark Sanchez played a terrible game on Sunday. The two key moments in this game were miscues by him. The interception that Sharper returned for the touchdown occurred as the Jets were driving in Saints territory. This interception sucked any momentum that the Jets had gained on that drive. The other miscue was the fumble in the end zone that resulted in a touchdown for the Saints and a 17-0 lead. Sanchez needs to do a better job of getting rid of the ball after a certain period of time. If he does not do a better job of this he will be getting hit from the blind side and fumbling a lot more this season. Sanchez is allowed his rookie mistakes and we have to hope that he recovers and is ready for Miami next Monday night.

The offensive line played terrible today and opened up no lanes for the running backs. The only good running plays of the game were a 15 yard touchdown for Thomas Jones and a few good runs by Shonn Greene. The line needs to start opening up more lanes for the running backs or Sanchez will never be able to open up the offense and play to the best of his abilities.

Thomas Jones needs to get going this season or he will start to lose carries to Shonn Greene (assuming Greene is healthy). Greene looked much more explosive and did not go down after the first hit. Jones has been going down after the first hit the majority of the time and has not run well this season at all.

Overall Thoughts:

The Saints are the best team in the NFL and the Jets would have been right in it without the rookie mistakes from Mark Sanchez. This is the type of game where you realize that the Jets were never going to go 16-0. There was going to be a slip up for Sanchez and the rest of the team and it's better that it happened against a non-conference opponent on the road. Next week the Jets go into Miami on Monday night to play the Dolphins. I won't go into this game now but more will be coming later in the week.

Game Preview: Jets v. Saints

2009-10-02T16:00:00.003-04:00

The Jets travel down to New Orleans on Sunday to take on the offensive juggernaut of the Saints. The Jets defense will have their hands full at 4:00 Sunday as the Saints come into the game with the best offense in the league. The spread of Jets +7 seems to be spot on and right around where I think the game is going to be. The Saints should beat the Jets on their home field and I would be very surprised if the Jets came out and were able to win this one.

Here are a few thoughts on the game...

Rex Ryan v. Sean Payton.. This is a great coaching matchup and will ultimately decide the game for both teams. Payton is an offensive mastermind who has the Saints offense playing as well as anybody in the league. However, he is going up against one of the great defensive minds of our day. Ryan will have a ton of blitz schemes ready to get pressure on Drew Brees. This is a fascinating matchup and it will be interesting to see whether the offense of Payton or the defense of Ryan wins out.

Will the pressure rattle Drew Brees? This is one question that I have been trying to figure out all week. Drew Brees is traditionally very good when being blitzed because he takes a quick drop and has a quick release. This allows him to find open receivers before the blitz reaches him. This Jets defense will attack Brees and attempt to rattle him. They will overload to one side and will send multiple people at one blocker in an attempt to get pressure. The consistency of this pressure will decide the game.

Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland are both out for this Sunday's game. This is a disappointing announcement coming from the Jets today as Ryan seemed fairly optimistic about Sheppard all week. This is going to place an added pressure on the rest of the Jets DB's and will force them to take on larger, more prominent roles than they are used to. This could spell disaster for the Jets if Brees gets hot and they can't generate enough pressure.

Players to Watch:

Mark Sanchez is going to have to win this game with his arm. I expect the Jets to come out semi-conservative in the first half in an attempt to eat clock and keep the Saints offense off the field. However, the Saints will end up scoring and Sanchez will have to start throwing the ball more than he has in the past 3 games. Based on how he has played in his first 3 NFL games (3 straight rookie of the week awards) I am not all that worried about opening up the offense a little more for him.

Drew Coleman will have to step in for Strickland and Sheppard and play a good game. He played pretty well last week and he needs to maintain that, or play above that, in this game. The Saints have a potent offense and Brees likes to hit a lot of different receivers.

Thomas Jones and Leon Washington will both have to have solid games on Sunday if the Jets hope to win. The key to beating New Orleans is keeping their offense off the field by eating up clock. Jones is going to need to put in a much better effort than previous weeks or the Jets are in trouble.

My Game Thoughts:

I am predicting a Jets loss this weekend. The combination of a great Saints offense, an overachieving defense, and the home crowd will be a little too much for the jets to handle. I predict that they will keep the game fairly close through the beginning and lose it around the 3rd quarter. If the Jets hope to win this game the defense will need to knock Brees around and frustrate him.

My Prediction:

Saints: 28
Jets: 17

A Few Thoughts

2009-09-28T21:03:00.002-04:00

Ryan's press conference today was similar to every other post-game one I have watched. He gave a lot of credit to the Titans for their effort in stopping Jones and also in getting back into the game. A few thoughts and notes from that:

He praised Eric Smith to no end. Smith got a game ball yesterday from Ryan and for good reason. He said that he never expected this out of Smith and actually was willing to trade him when he first got here. However, he loves how smart he is and how he has been able to pick up multiple positions in the system. Again, as I have said all year, keep an eye on him.

David Clowney was put on the bench by Ryan in the beginning of last week because Ryan had a problem with a few Twitter comments Clowney made after the Patriots game. After that game Clowney made a post saying he was disappointed with the amount of touches and plays he got. Although he quickly remedied that by posting about the great team win Ryan got wind of it and sat him this week. However, despite the fact that he was benched for this game Ryan named him the practice player of last week. He said that Clowney came out with a great attitude and really showed that he is all about the team. I'm looking for a little more playing time out of Clowney in the Saints game.

Ryan gave a ton of respect to the Saints and what they have been able to do so far. He knows that their offense is potent and that Payton is a great coach. He hinted at the fact that the Jets will be sending a ton of pressure at Brees this week and hoping he makes a mistake.

Note on Pennington:

Although he is a Dolphin, I hate to see him get injured and be out for the year. Pennington will always be one of my favorite Jets because of his tenacity and toughness. Although he was never blessed with the great arm he fought through that adversity and became a very good NFL quarterback. Pennington will always have his critics because of his weak arm but nobody can question his leadership and toughness. I hope he recovers from this and plays in the NFL once again but I have my doubts that he will be able to. That being said, he will make a great QB coach (and maybe more) sometime in the future and I look forward to seeing him wear Jets green again sometime in the near future.

Jets v. Titans Post Game

2009-09-27T17:44:00.002-04:00

Jets- 24
Titans- 17

Record: 3-0

The Jets continued their winning ways today with a huge win over the reeling Tennessee Titans. Any thought that the Jets would "let down" in this game was quickly dispelled as they opened up the first two drives of the game with touchdowns to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The second quarter was a little shaky as there was a complete role reversal as the Titans fought back. We saw once again the halftime adjustments of Rex Ryan which are absolutely amazing. Ryan had the defense playing very well in the 4th quarter which led to 13 straight incompletions from Kerry Collins to end the game.

Game Ball:

Jerricho Cotchery got open all day against the Titans secondary and finished with 8 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. His most important catch of the day came on a 45 yard pass down the sideline in which he made a great grab while maintaining possession and getting both feet in. This led to a field goal which put the Jets up 7. Cotchery exposed a weak Titans secondary and is one of the crispest route runners in the AFC right now. He made a great catch on the slant for the touchdown which proved to be the most important score of the game.

Thumbs Up:

David Harris had a great game with a key interception and sack in the 4th quarter. The interception came at a critical time and ended a potential game tying touchdown drive. The sack came on the Titans final drive and forced them into a long 3rd down situation. Those two plays pretty much ended two potential scoring drives for the Titans.

Mark Sanchez was incredible again today as he became the first rookie to ever start a season 3-0. He finished 17/30 for 171 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. The Titans defensive line was providing pressure all day and Sanchez was able to maneuver in the pocket and find open receivers. He found 7 different receivers on the day and seemed to spread the ball around nicely. The run for the touchdown on the first drive showed me that he is not afraid of contact as he took a big hit before extending for the touchdown. The 45 yard pass to Sanchez own the sideline was perfectly placed as Cotchery was tightly covered. Overall, Sanchez played well enough today to safely secure a third straight rookie of the week award and I am amazed by his development so far.

Kris Jenkins did his usual job of clogging up the middle and wreaking havoc for the opposing offensive line. He made an excellent play in the 4th quarter where he busted through the line and tackled the running back for a 4 yard loss with one arm while fighting off an offense lineman with another. He is a disruptive force and is playing even better than he did last season.

I said before the season that Eric Smith would have a huge year for the Jets. Ryan has learned to use him in the right way and Smith has developed into a very solid backup. With Sheppard and Strickland out this week Smith came up huge with a few good pass breakups. Keep your eye on him the rest of the season as he will continue to impress.

Thumbs Down:

I was a little disappointed in the offensive line today. Sanchez was rushed a lot more this game and the Titans reached him a lot by rushing only 4 people. The Titans d-line is very good but the offensive line is the best unit on this team and they need to do a better job protecting Sanchez as well as opening more holes for Thomas Jones.

Thomas Jones had a very disappointing game today. He finished with 14 carries for 20 yards and was largely ineffective. His only good carry which went for about 30 yards was brought back because of a Nick Mangold holding call. Jones will continue to get the ball 15-20 times a game and he will have to produce a lot better than he did today if the Jets hope to be able to hold leads in the 4th quarter and run down the clock.

Game Notes:

Both Strickland and Sheppard were inactive for this game due to injuries. The Jets will need one or both to return next week in order to shut down a very potent Saints offense.
Sanchez showed no sign of the "knee tendinitis" which put him on the injury report this week as he ran in the touchdown with no problem.
The 3-0 start is the first ever by a rookie quarterback.

Week 3 Preview: Titans at Jets

2009-09-25T17:18:00.002-04:00

The Titans come into New York with an 0-2 record and are absolutely desperate for a win. The Jets come into this game 2-0 and coming off a week where they picked up their biggest win in the past few years. Overall, I see this being another close game as both defenses will come to play. The Jets defense comes into the game ranked #1 in the league in yards allowed and has yet to give up an offensive touchdown. Anyway, here are a few thoughts about this weeks game.

The most important unit in this game is the Titans secondary. They are coming off a week where the Texans decimated them with the pass. The Matt Schaub/Andre Johnson duo recovered after a tough first week against the Jets and made Cortland Finnegan and the Titans secondary look terrible. A key to this game is opening up the offense early and letting Sanchez throw. There will not be much room to run in this game as the Titans still have a great, attacking defensive line. The Jets must open up the offense earlier than last week (when Sanchez only threw 5 times in the first half) and let him take his shots down the field.

In order to win this game the Jets will need to contain Chris Johnson. Rex Ryan stated in his press conference that the easiest way to stop this guy is to hit him before he gets moving. When Johnson breaks through the the first layer he is near impossible to stop in the open field. The Jets must stop Johnson in the backfield and I think they have a good chance of doing that with Kris Jenkins clogging up the middle.

Mark Sanchez will have to have a great game in order for the Jets to win this one. The defense will show up and hold the Titans down but the offense is going to need a lot more production than last week if the Jets hope to win this game. I expect to see a more opened up offense in the first half as the Jets will test the Titans secondary. Sanchez is going to have to be accurate and will have to use his uncanny ability to throw on the move if he hopes to escape the pressure from the Titans defensive line.

Players to Watch:

Lito Shepherd and Donald Strickland. Ok, so it might be a little hard to be a "player to watch" if your not going to be on the field. However, the presence of at least one of these guys is going to be needed on Sunday. From the last thing I heard it sounds like Shepherd will play and Strickland will not. This will thrust Drew Coleman into a more prominent role and he will have to play above and beyond what he has shown so far. Look for Eric Smith to have a bigger role this week if one or both of these guys are out.

Leon Washington makes this list every week because he is by far the Jets biggest playmaker. I have a good feeling about a kickoff return TD this week so we will watch out for that. Washington will play a huge factor in the game.

My Game Thoughts:

My prediction? The Jets will win this game in a close battle. Vegas has the Jets as 3 point favorites and I see the game being right around that number. Jay Feely will once again have to make his field goals because opportunities for touchdowns may be limited due to a good Titans defense.

My Prediction:

Jets-17
Titans- 10

Jets vs. Patriots Postgame

2009-09-20T21:09:00.002-04:00

Jets- 16
Patriots- 9

2-0

In one of the most highly anticipated Jets games in recent memory the result couldn't have been any better for the Jets. With the 16-9 win they moved themselves to 2-0 and sole possession of 1st place in the AFC East. The war of words leading up to this game set the stage for a hard fought, passionate game which turned out to be exactly what we got. Rex Ryan and Brian Schottenheimer's stagnant first half offense came out in the second half with a completely overhauled game plan and opened up offense which they used to put up 13 second half points and shock the Patriots.

Game Ball:

The game ball for today's game is going to be split between two players on different sides of the ball. First, Darelle Revis deserves all the credit in the world for shutting down All-Pro receiver Randy Moss. Revis was put on an island many times against one of the leagues most electrifying play makers and he came out as the winner as Moss ended up with only 4 catches for 26 yards. Revis also got the better of Moss when he intercepted one of the only long balls Brady attempted to get by Revis. The Jets were sending 6-7 men all game long and the fact that Revis was able to contain Moss with little or no help cements the fact that he is an elite cornerback in the NFL. The second game ball goes to none other than Mark Sanchez. You have to give the rookie credit for coming out in the second half and making a bunch of excellent throws after only attempting 5 passes in the entire first half. Sanchez does not seem to freeze under pressure and his touchdown pass to Keller in the back of the endzone was thrown with great touch and accuracy. The only play Sanchez missed near the endzone was a slight overthrow to Stuckey (who tripped anyway) which resulted in the Jets settling for a field goal. Sanchez doesn't look like a rookie back there and shows more poise and confidence in the pocket than many veteran quarterbacks.

Thumbs Up:

Jerricho Cotchery finished the game with 4 catches for 87 yards. He made one of the key plays in the game when he caught a 20 yard pass over the middle to open the second half and turned it into a 45 yard gain. Cotchery never goes down on first contact and seems to always get extra yards after the catch. He made a few diving catches tonight that required very sure hands. Sanchez seems to love to throw to him and I look for him to have many more games like this.

Donald Strickland played an excellent game today as the Jets nickel back. He was a very sure tackler and did not let the Patriots receivers get many yards after the catch. His biggest play was a blown up bubble screen where he never took his eyes off Faulk and hit him as soon as he touched the ball.

The Defense. The defense stepped up huge today and after 120 minutes of football has still not let up an offensive touchdown. In fact, they have let up 9 points in that time against two excellent offenses. Sean Ellis came back today and made a huge play on a 3rd and short and the rest of the defense was just as good. The scheme today called for a massive amount of blitzes which seemed to rattle Tom Brady and did not let him get comfortable in the pocket. The talk before the game was all about Kerry Rhodes' promise that they would hit Tom Brady at least 6 times. This number was probably just about correct as Brady was on the ground for a significant portion of the day.

The Crowd. Rex Ryan made a plea to Jets fans this week to show up at the stadium on time and to be loud and it definitely worked. You could tell that this was the most excited crowd for a Jets game at Giants Stadium in years and the crowd seems to really be getting into this Rex Ryan defense.

Thumbs Down:

Penalties. This thumbs down has to do with two separate things. 1.) The refs today made some calls in the first half which made me think they were having their salaries paid by Bill Belichick. The fumble call on Leon Washington was absolutely absurd as he was obviously down when the ball was pulled out. This led to the Patriots getting field position on the Jets 25 and without a great Jets defensive stand this call could have made a much bigger difference in the game. The other call which was absolutely absurd was the personal foul called against Bart Scott in the first half for kicking the Patriots wide receiver. Simply put, Scott never actually kicked the receiver and the 15 yard penalty shouldn't have been called. 2.) 8 penalties for 55 yards is not what you want to see if the Jets plan on becoming an elite team in the AFC. Although the problem was not terrible, the number of penalties needs to be cut down.

First half game plan. The game plan in the first half was reminiscent of the Paul Hackett years. The Jets settled for many first half runs right up the middle which kept the defense on the field for the majority of the first half. Sanchez attempted 5 passes in the first half with only 3 completions. Although the running game needs to be established, instilling confidence in Sanchez is just as important which was seen early in the second half. Once Sanchez completed a few passes he looked a lot more comfortable in the pocket.

Game Notes:

Strickland went out with an injury in the first quarter and there will be updates on his condition moving forward
Shonn Greene did not play today even though he was suited up.
Larry Izzo, Kevin O'Connell and Damien Woody were all chosen as Jets captains today. Another way Ryan attempted to show up Belichick

Patriots at Jets

2009-09-17T19:17:00.002-04:00

It's that time of week again as Thursday is upon us. Here is my weekly preview of the Jets matchup.

Things to Watch For:

In the recent years there has always been one thing to watch for after every Jets-Patriots game: the handshake. This year is no different as the Jets and Rex Ryan have made a splash in the media with some bold, confident statements about the upcoming game. Rex Ryan started out the fun by saying that, "I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick's, you know, rings," Ryan said. "I came to win. Let's just put it that way. So we'll see what happens. I'm certainly not intimidated by New England or anybody else." The talking continued with Kris Jenkins saying this week that the Jets will be preparing for this like its their Super Bowl. Kerry Rhodes jumped into the fun by saying that the Jets want to "embarrass" the Pats on Sunday. Now, these statements have been generating a lot of talk between Jets and Patriots fans. However, there isn't one statement that a Jet has said that has disrespected the Patriots or anything they have done. Rex Ryan simply came in with the objective of not worrying about Bill Belichek and the mystique of his unbeatable team. Ryan simply came on confident and focused on his own objective. If Bill Belichek refuses to answer a question about another team its just Bill being Bill. When Rex does the same thing (in a little more of a rash manner) it becomes bulletin board material. As far as the other two comments. Kris Jenkins is just saying that this is a huge game for the Jets (which it is) and that they are going to prepare harder than they usually would for a regular season game. I still can't find anything "bulletin board material like" about that. Kerry Rhodes said he wanted to embarrass the Pats. Isn't the objective of every NFL team to go out and embarrass the other team every week. No player in the NFL will take a 3 point win over a 50 point dominating win. He simply said what everyone else is thinking. So again, watch the handshake, it may be based on nothing but I promise it will be interesting.
The crowd will play a huge factor in the Jets success on Sunday. They have to be in early and they have to be making noise. Nothing pumps these players up more than knowing that they have 50,000 people behind them wreaking havoc for the opponent. We need this noise to slow down the potent passing attack of the Patriots and to keep Brady from being comfortable when making pre-snap reads.

Players to Watch:

Leon Washington will play a huge factor in Sunday's game. The Patriots had trouble containing the small, speedy Fred Jackson last week and now they will be faced with a player with twice his play-making ability. Washington should pose huge matchup problems for the inexperienced Patriots linebackers and I fully expect him to be well over 150 total yards from scrimmage. The Jets will throw a ton of quick screens (disguised in many ways) to keep the Patriots off balance and Washington should be on the other side of many of those screens.
Kris Jenkins was bothered by back issues this week but he will play in this game and should be his normal self. He needs to disrupt the Patriots OL and open up lanes for Bart Scott, David Harris, Vernon Gholston and others to rush Tom Brady. If Jenkins can eat up two defenders in the middle it will go a long way in the Jets goal of getting consistent pressure on Brady.
Kevin Faulk of the Patriots is one player that could have a huge game on Sunday. With the Jets blitz I fully expect Faulk to get 5-7 catches in the game and turn most of those into first downs. This could pose a huge problem in getting the formidable Patriots offense off the field.
Darelle Revis will have the job of shutting down Randy Moss. Both of these players are key to their reams success and if Revis can shut down Moss the Jets will have a very legitimate shot to win this game.

My Game Thoughts:

How do I think this game will go? It is hard to say what is going to happen Sunday in the Meadowlands. The Jets will show up to play and match up very well on both sides of the ball against the Patriots. The Patriots defense has lost many key members and will be without star linebacker Jerod Mayo on Sunday. This could make them very susceptible to the Jets short passing attack and their heavy dose of running. I think the Jets have the capability to put up over 25 points on Sunday against the Patriots defense. I think the Jets defense will come out strong with a heavy dose of blitzing to try to rattle Brady. I am worried about a second half surge from their offense as Brady and Belichek get adjusted.

My Prediction:

Jets- 23
Patriots 17

Rex Ryan's Call to Jets Fans

2009-09-16T23:27:00.002-04:00

Getting his message out there.. Show up and be loud on Sunday:

9/16 Update

2009-09-16T22:24:00.002-04:00

The Jets today were fined $75,000 dollars for not including Favre on the injury report last season. $75,000 is nothing to Woody Johnson so don't expect this to even bother him. Most influential thing coming out of this is hopefully we don't have to hear Favre and Jets in the same sentence again for a long time.

Jarod Mayo, the Patriots star middle linebacker, will more than likely not be playing in Sunday's game. He injured his right knee at the end of the Bills game. However, in typical Patriot fashion, we will not find out many additional details about when to expect their star middle linebacker back on the field.

Not a whole lot else going on today. There will be a poll placed on the side of this blog about how you think this Sunday's game will go!

9/15 Update

2009-09-15T16:30:00.002-04:00

Power Rankings are up and the Jets have surged up in most rankings. Here are a few from around the web.

ESPN:

16. Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez are two of the most exciting additions to the AFC. (Clayton)

CBS Sports:

16. Maybe we underestimated this team. If Mark Sanchez is as good as he was in the opener, they will be good. Rex Ryan brings a nice attitude to the defense.

Fox Sports:

14. GLASS HALF FULL: What a debut for Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan. The Jets seem to really have something in young Sanchez — eat your heart out, Pete Carroll! His pocket savvy and downfield vision is better than half the starting QBs in the league already, and Rex Ryan's defense pitched a virtual shutout in the opener (only TD allowed was on INT return).

Day After

2009-09-14T23:25:00.002-04:00

Game still looking good today and I still don't have any complaints other than that the Patriots are the luckiest team in the NFL and everything always seems to bounce their way. I think we will be ready for them next week with the blitz schemes and will definitely be able to put more pressure on Brady than the Bills did tonight.

Rex Ryan Press Conference:

It was clear early that Westerman had the temperament and passion to make the team.
Gholston was up and down. He did a lot of good things and hit the QB and pushed the pocket a few times. He wants Gholston to pile on the tackler and show more effort on hitting somebody.
He is happy with the receivers and loves how Stuckey ran after the catch.
Pleaded with the fans to show up and make noise to distract Brady next week.

Will have some Pats v. Jets stuff a little later in the week.

Jets vs. Texans Postgame

2009-09-13T18:39:00.002-04:00

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:

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.
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.
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).
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:

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.
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.

Final Preseason Thoughts

2009-09-09T23:18:00.003-04:00

Here we go again. We start this season with many new faces (Rex Ryan, Mark Sanchez, Bart Scott) and are missing many old, familiar ones (Eric Mangini, Brett Favre, Laveranues Coles). However, because of the departure of future hall of fame QB Brett Favre, the Jets are facing the new and exciting challenge of playing a rookie starting QB in Mark Sanchez. Sanchez will be complimented by one of the leagues best offensive lines and running back tandems in Thomas Jones and Leon Washington. Washington will see an increased role this year and will turn in a season which will surpass that of starting RB Thomas Jones. If you need a big play from the Jets offense this year, go to Leon. Shonn Greene should be groomed this year as an eventual replacement to Thomas Jones. Jones is getting up in age and although he can still produce, there needs to be an option to back him up.

The defense returns as strong as ever. The Jets came into last season with a greatly updated defense after adding NT Kris Jenkins and OLB Calvin Pace. This year, the Jets upgraded yet again by adding Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard from Baltimore and Lito Shephard from Philadelphia. The addition of Rex Ryan as head coach should make for an attacking, exciting defense. However, despite the positives of the new defense there are also a few negatives. Vernon Gholston will have to produce in the first 4 games of the season in order for the Jets defense to get off to a fast start. With the suspension of Calvin Pace, it is essential that Gholston live up to at least a little of the potential that made him a top 10 pick just a year ago. If Gholston doesn't produce look for undrafted Rutgers alum Jamaal Westermann to step in and take his spot. Westerman has impressed in the offseason and made this team despite great odds against him. Kris Jenkins will need to have a strong season at NT in order for the defense to be successful. He must not fade at the end of the season like he did last year if the Jets hope to be successful stopping the run. Also, Lito Shephard will have to play a lot better than he did during the preseason if he hopes to hold down the #2 CB role.

The special teams units will again be great under top special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff. Leon Washington will be the kick returner and should be, yet again, one of the top in the league at this position. He needs to give Sanchez and the offense good field position, especially in the first few games of the season. Jim Leonhard has proved to be a good punt returner in Baltimore and he will take that duty from Leon this year.

BOLD Predictions:

David Harris will lead the Jets in tackles this year.
Dustin Keller will be the Jets #1 receiver this year in both yards and TD's
Leon Washington will have over 700 yards rushing and 400 yards receiving.
Kerry Rhodes will finish with over 5 sacks and 5 interceptions each.
Jamaal Westermann will have a very large role in the defense during the first 4 games this season.
The Jets will change punters at least once.

Final Season Prediction: 8-8
Team MVP: Leon Washington
Most Improved Player: Chansi Stuckey

Possible New York Jets and JetBlue Partnerhsip?

2009-09-07T17:18:00.002-04:00

Quick update on the Kerry Rhodes twitter saga. It looks like Brandon Marshall is not headed for New York (at least not yet) and the newest rumor is that Rhodes could be talking about a potential relationship between the Jets and JetBlue. Although details of this relationship haven't been finalized we can expect some news tomorrow according to Rhodes. Could this mean a "JetBlue Stadium" is in the near future. Stay tuned and find out.

In other news:

Danny Woodhead was cut and will most likely be added to the practice squad if he clears waivers. Woodhead was a great story through the preseason but this cut was expected.
The Jets will go with Steve Weatherford as punter.

Brandon Marshall Coming to the Jets?

2009-09-06T18:19:00.002-04:00

kerryrhodesjet fans expect a big announcement coming soon lol!32 minutes ago from web

Question to Rhodes:

@kerryrhodes Hey im tellin ya, Clemens is gone. Jets traded for K.O'Connell, watch, Jets are making trade move with denver as we speak.

Rhodes response:
@ChrebetBoy1 u may be right!!! (hint hint)

These are twitter updates from Kerry Rhodes over the last hour. The first is a post Kerry made saying that Jets fans should expect a big announcement soon. The second two indicate that Kerry knows something that the rest of us don't. With the acquisition of Kevin O' Connell today from the Lions there is a very good chance that Kellen Clemens is being shipped off to Denver as we speak for troubled wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Again, since this is twitter we could be waiting for hear about something from Rhodes personal life. However, he is making it apparent through these updates that something is happening which should make Jets fans excited really soon.

Jets Announce Final Cuts

2009-09-06T13:51:00.002-04:00

Injured Reserve:

WR Aundrae Allison

Waived:

CB Rashad Barksdale
TE Kevin Brock
TE Kareem Brown
RB Jehuu Caulcrick
FB Brock Christopher
S Emanuel Cook
LB Kenwin Cummings
OL Stanley Daniels
WR Britt Davis
K Parker Douglass
WR Marcus Henry
RB Anthony Kimble
DL Matt Kroul
T Nevin McCaskill
OT Ryan McKee
C Michael Parenton
DE Zach Potter
TE Jack Simmons
DL Ty Steinkuhler

Reserve/Suspended:

DL Shaun Ellis
LB Calvin Pace

A few short notes on the cuts made yesterday.:

Rex Ryan liked Britt Davis coming into training camp but he proved absolutely nothing through the preseason. He won't be missed after his short stay on the team.
Jack Simmons is another player who had some potential to make this team coming into the preseason. However, a dropped TD pass doomed him and cemented his fate as a preseason cut.
The most surprising move coming out yesterday was that the Jets will keep Danny Woodhead on the 53 man roster. Woodhead earned the spot after rushing for over 150 years in the 4th and final preseason game. However, there is a lot of speculation that Woodhead was only kept on the roster because the Jets knew that he would never make it through waivers and onto the practice squad. For now, the Jets will carry 4 RB's (Jones, Washington, Greene, Woodhead) as well as FB Tony Richardson. My prediction: Danny Woodhead will be cut or moved to the practice squad either before the start of the season or upon the return of Shaun Ellis and Calvin Pace.

AFC East Prediction

2009-09-01T18:30:00.002-04:00

Predicted Final Standings:

Patriots- 12-4
Jets- 8-8
Bills- 7-9
Dolphins- 7-9

The Patriots will return to their spot at the top of the division with the return of Tom Brady and the best offense in the NFL. Although their defense is spotty, especially in the defensive backfield, they should have no problem scoring over 24 points a game and blowing teams out with a great passing attack. After the Patriots the rest of the division is fairly weak. Although it is a biased view I believe the Jets will secure the second spot with an 8-8 record because of a really solid defense and a relatively easy schedule. After the Jets, the Dolphins and the Bills will battle for the final spot. Neither team is very strong on either side of the ball. The addition of T.O. will not improve the Bills and with Marshawn Lynch suspended for 4 games to start the season I think they will run into early troubles. The Dolphins had a good season last year but I do not see them coming back with the same fire and excitement as they showed last year. Chad Pennington is a great regular season QB but he will never lead them anywhere past the first round of the playoffs. Look for them to battle and probably win the second place in the division.

The division will be won by the Patriots and none of the three other teams will seriously compete for a playoff spot. There is not enough talent on any of the three offenses to make a serious run and look for the Patriots to run all over the division.

Sanchez Named Starter

2009-08-27T00:57:00.002-04:00

A new era of Jets football started today as Mark Sanchez was named starter just a few months after being picked with the 4th pick in the NFL draft. As I've stated in previous posts I always thought that Sanchez would and should start. Now that the day has come and he has been named starter I have to say that I am very happy about it. Although Kellen Clemens has put in his years in the organization, and i do feel for him, he has not impressed me this year in what I have seen in games and heard from training camp. He will once again be a very serviceable second string QB.

Now onto Sanchez...

He has not convincingly earned this job through training camp. However, he has shown enough to show that he won't completely melt down as the starter for this team. He will be helped by a great offensive line which should provide more than adequate protection and give him time to make the throws. He will be thrown into the fire the first week against the Texans and Jets fans everywhere are going to hope that it will be the first of many, many, many years of him behind center.

Will Sanchez do well this year...

In my opinion Sanchez will have a sub-par year as the starting QB. The Jets record will suffer because of having a rookie QB behind center and I will be surprised if they finish with a winning record. (Official prediction will be made after the 4th preseason game) He will make mistakes and I am prepared to deal with that as long as he is able to grow and mature into a solid starting QB for many years to come. In order for the Jets to do well this year Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are going to have to put up great performances and take the pressure off the rookie QB.

Preseason #2: Jets vs. Ravens

2009-08-24T21:33:00.003-04:00

The Jets lost tonight but since I don't really care about wins and losses in the preseason I will get right into my post game analysis by looking at the two quarterbacks and their performances tonight:

1. Sanchez's performance in this game was very underwhelming. He finished with the first half at 3/8 with 43 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. I'll take it possessoin by possession through his first ever NFL start.

First Possession:

Sanchez got his first look at the Ravens defense and Ray Lewis forces him to throw an interception right into the hands of Haloti Ngata for a defensive touchdown. Sanchez has to make a quicker read and dump the ball off or has to just hold on and take a sack.

Second Possession:

On his second drop back to pass of the game Sanchez almost throws another pick-six right to Ray Lewis. Sanchez stared down his WR over the middle and Lewis jumped the route and missed an easy interception. Sanchez needs to look off his receivers and not allow the defensive players to read his eyes. Sanchez commits another error with a delay of game penalty.
Sanchez has a positive play in this possession when he escapes the pressure aon third down and makes a good throw down the sideline to Brad Smith. However, this play is brought back for offensive interference.

Third Possession:
This is pretty much a lost possession for Sanchez as the Jets run a risky reverse on first down and never give Sanchez the chance to throw the ball.

Fourth Possession:
Sanchez still hasn't completed a pass and is getting chased around behind a shaky offensive line. He also commits another error with the second delay of game penalty of the night.

Fifth Possession:
Sanchez finally gets it going on this possession with a lot of help from Leon Washington. Washington converts on two third and longs on both a screen pass and a draw play. Sanchez fumbles a handoff and has a miscommunication with Jerricho Cotchery. However, Sanchez turns it around by throwing a touchdown pass down the sideline to Washington after getting flushed out of the pocket to the right and seeing Leon on a linebacker.

Overall, Sanchez did not play a very solid first half. However, the Ravens defense has flustered many well established QB's and Sanchez was able to come back on his fifth possession and throw a touchdown pass down the sideline after escaping pressure.

Kellen Clemens:

Clemens will not get the same write up as Sanchez because he didn't get reps against the first team defense. Clemens threw a terrible interception to end the first half which was more a result of bad play calling. However, Clemens came out strong in the second half with a great throw to David Clowney, Mr. August, down the sideline. Clemens didn't show enough to cement himself as the starter tonight because most of what he did was against the second and third team defenses.

Here are some THUMBS UP for todays game:

1. Leon Washington:

Leon Washington played a great game tonight. He showed, yet again, why he should be given an extension and paid the 5-6 million dollars a year that he is asking for. On Sanchez's TD drive he converted on 3 straight 3rd down conversions, one resulting in a touchdown. Washington also had a great kick return in the first half that would have ended up as a touchdown if he hadn't tripped slightly. I was very impressed at Leon running inside the tackles tonight. Everyone knows that he can run on the outside but if he can learn to get the hard yards up the middle he will become a better all around running back.

2. Dwight Lowery:

I loved the way Lowery played in this game mostly because of his tackling. On the first defensive possession Lowery made two great open field tackles and successfully defended a long pass down the sideline.

3. Defensive Pressure:

The defense managed to get pressure from many different sources tonight. Ryan let it all out in the first few possessions and Bart Scott made a great return to Baltimore and got tons of pressure on the QB. David Harris also picked up another sack and was all over the running game. Between Scott and Harris, the Jets will have the best MLB crew in the NFL this season. Calvin Pace also picked up a sack and shows why we will miss him for the first 4 games of the season.

And of course some THUMBS DOWN:

1. Vernon Gholston:

As I said in my pregame post, this game was huge for Gholston. He put up a terrible performance in this game and looked soft, stiff and slow. I keyed on him throughout the second half and he spent most of his time running straight into the offensive line and making no impact whatsoever. By this time in his career, he should be at least making some impact in the pass rushing game and he hasn't done that in the slightest. The bust label isn't out yet, but if Gholston doesn't show something to me soon I will be ready to write him off like most other Jets fans already have.

2. Drew Coleman:

Drew Coleman showed tonight that he shouldn't even make this team. He got burned down the sideline by Derrick Mason which was a huge play that led to a touchdown. There have to be better cornerbacks out there than Drew Coleman.

Jets vs. Ravens Pregame Analysis

2009-08-24T13:26:00.002-04:00

The Jets will go down to Baltimore tonight to face off with the Ravens. Here are a few things I'll be looking for in tonight's game.

1. The big news surrounding this game for the Jets is that Mark Sanchez will get his first ever start in a Jets uniform. As I have said before, THIS IS NOT GROUNDBREAKING NEWS. Sanchez was expected to start this game since Rex Ryan declared this to be a quarterback competition. Sanchez will have a tough time of it tonight against Ray Lewis and a punishing Ravens defense. Sanchez will have to be careful to not turn the ball over and will have to manage the game well in the two or so possessions that he will be in there.

2. Rex Ryan returns to his home in Baltimore with 2 of his former defensive starters. When Ryan came over to NY he brought Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard with him. Both of these players were standouts in the Ravens defense last year. Both these players should be pumped at getting the opportunity to go back to their former teams.

3. Vernon Gholston needs to show up tonight. Gholston will be starting this year at the OLB spot because of Calvin Pace's 4 game suspension. Gholston was non-existent in the first preseason game and he needs to make an effort tonight to get involved in and make some plays. Gholston needs to start shedding the "bust" label and starting the first 4 games this year is a great way to do it.

4. NO INJURIES. It can't be stated enough but an injury at this point in the preseason can be crippling for a team. A night of no injuries would be 100x better than any win the Jets could get tonight.

Vick, Favre, and a few Jets Notes

2009-08-20T02:55:00.002-04:00

Brett Favre:
First, I hate writing anything about this but I want to get it out of the way. Brett Favre has returned as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. I have nothing against Favre and I still believe that it was the right move to bring him in last year as the Jets starting QB. He provided excitement to the extent that I have never seen in my years as a fan. However, Favre is ruining his legacy by going to the Minnesota Vikings. He seems to be okay with alienating the fans that made him who he is. The Green Bay fans will take a long time to forgive Brett Favre for going to their biggest rival. This feeling will only intensify if he goes into Lambeau and beats them this year. Although I have nothing against Favre, I hope he crashes and burns in Minnesota.

Mike Vick:
I am in complete agreement that Mike Vick deserves another chance in the NFL. He served almost 2 years for his crimes and now he deserves a second chance. The Eagles made the move to pick him up and he has been received with open arms by Donovan McNabb and the Eagles team. I think he will have a successful career from here on out and will manage to keep himself out of trouble.

Jets Notes:

Leon Washington has been offered a deal at about 5 million a year. As I have mentioned in previous posts the Jets need to sign him soon. However, they should stick to this 5 million a year number and let Leon come down to them. His demand for 6 million a year is way too much and Leon will be smart to sign a deal while his value is high.

The Jets are looking into trading for either Brandon Marhall or Dwayne Bowe. Either of these two guys would help improve a weak receiving core. Cotchery could be moved back to the #2 spot where he has excelled. More will come on this as we find out whether the Jets are actually pursuing or if its just a rumor.

Sanchez Starting Week 2

2009-08-16T20:43:00.002-04:00

Everyone needs to settle down with the news that Sanchez is starting Week 2 of the preseason vs. the Ravens. It was previously determined that Clemens would start Week #1 vs. the Rams and Sanchez would get Week 2 against the Ravens. This gives both QB's the opportunity to start so Rex can see what they can do before he makes the decision. So stop looking at this as Sanchez having the edge on Clemens. He may have the edge in Rex's eyes but it is not because of this decision. Another one of ESPN's faults.

Preseason #1: Jets vs. Rams

2009-08-14T23:43:00.003-04:00

Just got back from the Jets v. Rams game and feel pretty good about how it went. I won't focus on the score here (because it really doesn't matter) but here are a few good and bad things I noticed tonight.

Starting with the good....

1. Mark Sanchez looked great in his first action for the Jets. He gets rid of the ball extremely quickly and seems to have no problem making reads and finding the open receivers. Also, the one semi deep ball he threw was perfect and landed right over the receivers shoulder in a place where the CB had no chance for a play. I do not want to overstate it and say that this one drive moved Sanchez up on the depth chart but he definitely outplayed Clemens.

2. David Harris is going to have one hell of a season. I don't know if its the fact that he's healthy or Rex Ryan's system but Harris was all over every play while he was in tonight. He ended with 3 tackles and 1 sack but he was right there on every play.

3. Dustin Keller will lead the Jets in receptions this year. No matter what QB starts Keller is going to be the Jets #1 receiver. He has the speed and has no trouble finding spots in the defense where the QB can hit him.

4. SIGN LEON WASHINGTON. Leon is clearly Jets fans favorite player. Every time he steps back to return a kick the entire stadium goes crazy. If you have to give him 5 million a year to stay just do it and get it over with.

Now to the bad...

1. Clemens seems to be copying the Chad Pennington template of being a QB. He went 4-4 but only ended up with around 35 yards. Most of the first two drives were spent throwing little 2 yard patterns to receivers. He did not impress tonight.

2. Thomas Jones. I can't be too hard on Thomas Jones tonight because he was missing 3/5 members of the o-line. However, the mere fact that he rushed 9 times for 13 yards earns him a thumbs down for his performance. I'm sure he will come back with a stronger performance next game.

Only a crowd of about 25,000 (maybe less) tonight but it was still great to see the Jets on the field again. As always, it gives me goosebumps when Leon steps back there for the opening kickoff and I look forward to more in the coming weeks

Camp Update: August 13

2009-08-13T18:59:00.002-04:00

There have been numerous reports out of Jets camp in recent days that the Jets were looking to trade Thomas Jones to an NFC West team.

"Shoot, I'm not going to trade that," Ryan said. "You know what I'm all about and this guy is huge in our plans. I'm not going to trade the running back who led the AFC in rushing."

Looks like this matteris settled for now and Jones will continue to be the #1 running back this season.

In other running back news the Jets have reportedly have increased their offer to Leon Washington to 4.5 million. This is a 2 million dollar increase from their last offer and about 1.5 from what Washington is asking for. Look for the Jets to get this done before the next few weeks are out.

Preseason starts tomorrow when the Rams come into town. I will be attending the game tomorrow night and will write a fairly detailed report of what I felt were the high and low points. It looks like Clemens is starting but will probably split time in the first three quarters with Mark Sanchez. Look for Eric Ainge to get some reps in the 4th quarter. May have a pre-game post for tomorrow but there will definitely be one after.

Position by Position Overview: WR, TE, FB, OL, CB, S, DL, LB

2009-08-11T23:35:00.002-04:00

WR:

The wide receiver position is probably the weakest on the offensive side of the ball. The major loss of the offseason was Laverneus Coles, who has moved on to the Bengals. Coles has been the Jets #1 receiver for the last few years but was never happy with his contract. Replacing him now is Jerricho Corchery. Many believe that Cotchery has been the best receiver on the team for a few years. With steady hands and good evasiveness, Cotchery should be able to step up and make a difference on the offensive side of the ball.
The #2 WR position is one of the most unsettled spots in the organization. The front office opted to not address this issue in the offseason and is instead hoping that someone will step up and grab the spot. The likely candidates for this spot include Chansi Stuckey, David Clowney, and Brad Smith. These three wide receivers have never made a huge impact on the NFL level. However, Stuckey had 35 catches last year as a slot receiver and Clowney has a killer twitter page. One of these three receivers, as well as the plethora of others that are at camp will have to distinguish themselves to earn that coveted spot.
The wide receiver position was not addressed in the offseason with the hope that a largely unknown receivers would step up and prove themselves. I believe that the Jets will find a serviceable #2 receiver for this season. However, I think the issue needs to be further addressed next offseason.

TE/FB:

The tight end section is going to be short because Dustin Keller is developing into a top tight end in the league. His better than average speed and size allows him to dominate the center of hte field. With an inexperienced starting QB I believe that Keller will have a monster season and break into the top 5 TE's in the league. Kareem Brown, the former defensive end, will attempt to be the #2 tight end and the Jets leading run blocker at the position.
Tony Richardson will once again return as FB. His lead blocking led Thomas Jones to be the leading rusher in the league last year and is one of the most respected run blockers in the league.

OL:

The offensive line is probably the most solid part of the offensive unit. The line is returning 5 starters who gelled together last year and allowed Thomas Jones to become the leading rusher in the league. D'Brickshaw Ferguson is finally coming into his own and becoming the type of run blocker the Jets knew they were drafting with the 4th pick back in 2006. Next to him, Alan Fanaca has anchored the line and provided stability from the middle. His veteran presence has helped with the development of both Ferguson and Nick Mangold. Nick Mangold, another 2006 draft pick, has grown into a top center in the entire NFL. Taking over for Kevin Mawae in 2006, Mangold has had very few growing pains. The most overlooked member of the OL is right guard Brnadon Moore. Moore has become a very consistent, hard nosed guard who has excelled in run blocking. The Jets managed to retain him in the offseason after almost losing him to free agency. The right tackle position is filled by Damian Woody. Woody was signed by the Jets last year and made a seamless move to right tackle. He has become another good, solid lineman on a line that should help in the development of the young QB's.
The offensive line is the most impressive unit on the team. The line gelled together last year and should form a unit that dominates the opposition. The lack of depth on the OL is a problem and the Jets will have to hope that injuries do not strike this part of the team. If this unit is able to stay intact all year they should, once again, be a top 5 unit in the league.

CB:

The cornerback position should be a strength of the defense this year. Darrelle Revis returns as the top cornerback and will rarely have the all thrown to his side. His ability to limit the oppositions #1 receiver should provide plenty of opportunities for fellow CB's Lito Sheppard and Dwight Lowery to make plays. Sheppard is a new arrival from Philadelphia and should fill in as the #2 CB opposite of Revis. The ball will be thrown to his side plenty and he will have to be ready to make plays. Lowery fills in as the #3 CB after being the #2 most of last season. Despite not having amazing physical tools, Lowery is able to make plays and be a serviceable cornerback. With Revis and Lito in front of him, Lowery s hould be able to perform his duties in the slow CB role well.

S:

The safety position is loaded with talent. Kerry Rhodes, despite a lackluster past year, is returning with a vengeance and is ready to go to his first pro bowl. Rhodes is the best playmaker in the defensive backfield and he hsould be more active in the new Rex Ryan defense. Newly signed from Baltimore, Jim Leonhard enters the season as the other starting safety. Leonhard was a first time starter last season in Baltimore and despite his undersized frame, he came on strong and had a great season. The third safety is Eric Smith. Smith has had a great offseason and Ryan loves what he sees from him. He should be on the field a bunch this season and look for him to become a huge playmaker and maybe even replace Leonhard at some point.

DL:

The defensive line is a fairly strong unit that is anchored in the center by big Kris Jenkins. Jenkins weighs in at around 350 pounds and is one of the top 3-4 DT's in the NFL. He is able to occupy lineman and open up holes for the RB's and other blitzers. Jenkins faded at the end of last season but there are reports that he is ready this season and will be in even better shape. Jenkins is the most important member of the DL and he could be the major factor in determining the success of the team this year. The always solid Shaun Ellis returns to his 3-4 role which he has begun to excel at. Despite the fact that he is not putting up huge sack numbers, Ellis plays a large role against the run and will continue to play well. Marques Douglas enters the season as the biggest question mark at defense. Replacing Kenyon Coleman, Douglas has the size and strength to play DE in Rex Ryan's system. If he is unable to hold on to this role, look for Mike Devito to get some playing time.

LB:

The linebacker position has drastically changed since 2008. 2009 will open up with two starters from last season. Vernon Gholston will be the week 1 starter at one of the two OLB spots. The second year player comes into the season with diminished expectations after a terrible rookie campaign. This year Gholston will get a chance to prove himself as he starts the first 4 games for Calvin Pace, who is facing a drug suspension. If Gholston plays well in the OLB role, it could spell great things for the Jets defense once Pace comes back. Next to Pace/Gholston is newcomer Bart Scott. Coming in from Baltimore, Scott was the Jets biggest addition of the offseason. He is expected to bring tenacity and skill to the LB core which has been missing in recent years. He can cover and rush the passer and should anchor the LB. An overlooked player coming into this year is MLB David Harris. Harris is a great ILB who was derailed by injuries last year and never really got going. I believe that this year is the time when he will step up and prove to the league that he is a pro bowl middle linebacker. Bryan Thomas will line up in the other OLB role. Thomas has a huge contract but has not produced great results. I believe that he could be replaced early if Gholston plays well in his short stint as starter.

Position by Position Overview: RB

2009-08-01T14:07:00.001-04:00

As we pull into the beginning of training camp there are a few things to report on the running backs front. Thomas Jones is in camp despite his unhappiness with his contract situation. Leon Washington arrived to camp late by a few hours but only missed the first team meeting and was out there training with the team the first day. Both have expressed unhappiness about their contracts but it appears that Jones has accepted that he is not getting a new one and Leon has some renewed hope that a deal is near.

1. Thomas Jones
2. Leon Washington
3. Shonn Greene

Thomas Jones:

Jones comes into training camp after a career year last season in which he led the AFC in rushing with 1,312 yards. More importantly he became the workhorse back for the Jets and many believe that he was widely underutilized in the later games of last season. Although Jones has crept up to 30 years old (the age of decline for a running back) there is still reason to believe that he can produce his same old solid numbers. He has just under 2,000 rushing attempts for his career which could indicate that he is not quite spent. The only thing that is bothersome about Jones is that he is looking for a new contract. He signed a four year contract two years ago with the money front loaded in the first two years. Jones needs to abide by the contract HE signed and get back on the field.

Jones will once again put up solid numbers. As a prediction I would say somewhere around 1,100 rushing yards and 10 TDs. I believe his numbers will decline from last year a little with such factors as age and Leon Washington's increased role playing a factor.

Leon Washington:

Widely regarded as the most popular Jet, Leon has been looking for a new contract all offseason. However, unlike Jones, Washington greatly deserves a new contract. He has played for about 500,000 every year and has put up numbers that far exceed his paychecks. He is explosive in the open field and is one of the top three most dangerous kick returners in the league. Every time he touches the ball he has the chance to go the distance and look for him to get many more touches this season under Rex Ryan.

Shonn Greene:

Drafted out of Iowa, Shonn Greene is a rookie running back who is going to try to prove that he has the ability to replace Jones as the full time starter. (in a few years) Greene, NJ native, runs hard and will play a large role in the power running offense that the Jets are hoping to establish.

Overall Outlook:

The running backs are the most talented group on the offense and have the chance to do some real damage this season. Look for Leon Washington to get more carries/touches and Thomas Jones to put slightly decreased numbers. However, the thunder/lightening combination of the two should serve the Jets well in 2009

Next up : WRs

Position by Position Overview: QB

2009-07-30T13:23:00.003-04:00

I will start my pre-training camp position by position overview with the Quarterbacks. The Depth Chart currently looks like this:

1. Kellen Clemens
2. Mark Sanchez
3. Eric Ainge.

Mark Sanchez:

Sanchez was drafted by the Jets with the 5th overall pick in the 2009 draft out of USC. Sanchez was widely regarded as being the second best Quarterback in that draft behind Matthew Stafford. With his movie star looks and marketable personality many fans have been reminded of former New York Jets quarterback, Joe Namath.

Going into training camp many believe that Sanchez holds a slight edge on Kellen Clemens in their battle for starting quarterback. Sanchez, at 22, is regarded among fans as the future of the organization. He has the arm to make all the throws (unlike our former franchise quarterback) and has a personality that is built for leadership. Not many rookies are able to step into a new situation and pick up the playbook and leadership roles as well as Sanchez has this offseason.

I loved the pick of Sanchez and I think he will be the starter when the Jets go to Houston in Week 1. Although it may be rushed to have a rookie QB starting in Week One I believe that Sanchez has both the physical tools and the mind to become a successful "Joe Flacco-like" quarterback. If he can manage the game and get the ball off to Thomas Jones and Leon Washington I believe he can have a successful first season in the NFL.

Kellen Clemens:

Clemens goes into the training camp as the #1 QB on the depth chart for the Jets. (per Rex Ryan today) However, despite being a second round pick in 2005 and entering his 4th season in this offensive system he has failed to define himself. He was given a chance in 2007 and ended with a 60.9 rating behind a decimated offensive line. Clemens has the arm to make all the throws and has the build to be a starting NFL quarterback. However, he has yet to show that he has the ability to make the step between perennial backup to starting quarterback.

Clemens has been a great backup for the Jets in the past 4 years. I believe that he is ready for the opportunity to start and will probably succeed this season if given the right role. (if he wins the QB battle) He must be put in a position where the RB's carry most of the load while Clemens works within the system that he has learned the past 4 years.

Winner of the Battle: Mark Sanchez

Despite the setback of starting training camp as the number 2 QB on the depth chart, I believe that Woody Johnson will force Rex Ryan into making Sanchez the starting QB week one. With the sales of tickets in the new stadium hurting Woody knows that the only way to make sales is to start Sanchez and hope for the best.

Next up: RB's

New York Jets

2009-07-30T01:27:00.002-04:00

In 1999 I broke a lamp while watching John Elway complete a 50 yard pass to Ed McCaffery to essentially end the Jets season. In 2005 Doug Brien ripped out my heart when he missed both 47 and 42 yard field goals which would have sent the Jets to the AFC Championship game against the heavily favored Steelers. I've dealt with Vinny Testaverde, Ray Lucas, Glenn Foley, Chad Pennington, and Brett Favre, just to name a few quarterbacks who have tried and failed to deliver a Super Bowl to the Jets. The only way to top the incompetence of the quarterbacks is to look at the head coaches. Al Groh, Herman Edwards, and Eric Mangini have ruined the early part of the 2000's.

With the start of 2009 we have the start of a new season and many new chances for the Jets to disappoint. However, Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez provide some sense stability for generations of fans who haven't even been close to a Super Bowl. I will document these disappointments (with some successes mixed in) along with news that will be added as I find it.