Week Two: Back To Reality1. While the Jets have other flaws, it's on the offensive and defensive lines that they are vastly overmatched, and lost yesterday's game. When you can't run the ball (zero rushing first downs), can't stop the run, and your defensive line puts up little pressure and gets no sacks (Kerry Rhodes had the Jets only sack), you will very rarely win.
The good news, of course, is that the offensive line should get better. Defensive line will remain a problem, however, until it is addressed in the draft and perhaps also in free agency.
2. The Jets coaching staff was also overmatched yesterday. The offensive game plan was terrible, basically a Herm Edwards style insistence on running the ball even when it was clear that they couldn't run. The Jets punted on all five of their first half drives. On their opening drive of the second half, they stalled after a series in which they ran four straight plays, including up the middle on 3rd and 4th downs and less than a yard. Even with the Patriots putting eight men in the box, daring the Jets to pass, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer insisted on running up the middle.
By the time Schottenheimer let Chad Pennington throw the ball, the score was 24-0 and there was not enough time for a comeback.
Defensively, I thought the Jets should have blitzed more, particularly during the Patriots late 2nd quarter touchdown drive. Admittedly, however, when the Jets did blitz in the 4th quarter, Tom Brady picked it up and converted one third down after another.
One coaching move I could not understand occurred with 4:09 left in the 4th quarter, with the Patriots facing 3rd and 8 from the Jets 35. With the clock stopped after an incompletion, the Jets used a valuable timeout, and Brady then completed a first down pass. Eric Mangini preached throughout training camp that timeouts must never be wasted, and forced players to run laps when they had to use a timeout. Perhaps he and his staff should run a few laps today.
3. I also did not like Mangini's post-game statements expressing how "proud" he was of his players. That reminded me a lot of the Herm era. More importantly, I don't think the pride was justified. The Jets defense was awful in the 4th quarter, wasting the momentum by allowing the Patriots an 8 minute drive in which the Jets used all three timeouts and got the ball back with only a minute left and 91 yards to go.
The defense was also awful on the Patriots first drive of the 3rd quarter, in which a holding and a pass interference penalty wasted 3rd down stops and allowed the Pats to score another TD.
4. It's difficult to say whether the Jets problems running the ball are solely the fault of the offensive line, or whether running backs Kevan Barlow and Derrick Blaylock are also to blame. Regardless, perhaps it's time for Mangini and Schottenheimer to activate Cedric Houston, and see if he can provide a spark.
5. On the bright side, Chad Pennington, Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery all looked good. While Elster wrote that the outstanding touchdown runs after the catches by Coles and Cotchery "made Pennington's otherwise very average performance look better," I have a different take.
As stated, Pennington was handcuffed during the Jets first six drives in a manner similar to the way Brooks Bollinger was treated last season.
As for the two big plays, the stats of all quarterbacks with good receivers are boosted by the play of those receivers. Nobody suggests that Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne make Peyton Manning look better, or even that Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin make Kurt Warner look better.
On the passes to Coles and Cotchery, Pennington was blitzed heavily (and hit), yet picked up both blitzes and threw a perfect pass on both plays. Since the 2002 playoff loss to the Raiders, Pennington's weakness has been facing the blitz. If he can very quickly find an open receiver when blitzed, the Jets will likely have many more big plays, with their receivers having plenty of open field after the catch.
Of course, if the Jets running backs and offensive line fails to pick up blitzes and keeps leaving Pennington alone, Pennington will soon suffer another serious injury.
6. I got the sense that notwithstanding his denials, Mangini was hurt by Bill Belichick's snubs and insults. Whatever Belichick's motives for his disdainful treatment of Mangini, the latter should get over it.
7. Week 2 was also a tough week for my fantasy football team. Despite picking up 153 points, enough to defeat everyone in the league except for MoC, my team had to face MoC and fell to 1-1 when Team MoC amassed an incredible 159 points even while playing a defensive lineman short. In other games, Jetsphan improved to 2-0 over Akiva, while Elster looks poised to move to 2-0 over Team TO, after Team TO's star receiver - TO - was injured in last night's game.
8. There was some good news yesterday. Not only did Herm's Chiefs lose again, the Redskins also fell to 0-2. The Jets have Washington's second round pick.
posted on 9/18/2006
