An Unbelievable Loss

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

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

1. 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.
2. 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.  
3. 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.  
4. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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