Week 4 Thoughts1. When Justin Miller returned a kickoff 103 yards for the go ahead touchdown with under 2:30 left, the crowd went crazy. I didn't get it. Don't Jets fans realize that Peyton Manning vs. the Jets defense (in particular, Miller, who was terrible again at cornerback) is a losing proposition? Apparently not. To his credit, Chad Pennington looked disappointed by Miller's touchdown. I too had hoped Miller would be tackled at midfield, giving Pennington a chance to win the game while running out the clock.
2. It's time for the Jets to shake up the defense. Miller should be replaced by Derrick Strait. The defensive line is, to a man, a complete disaster. They can't stop the run, and can't generate any pass pressure.
3. On the Colts' two late fourth quarter touchdown drives, the Jets never blitzed. I know that Manning can pick up the blitz and exploit it for a long touchdown pass, but how is that worse than letting him pick the defense apart and inevitably score a touchdown anyway?
4. After Miller's TD, Mike Nugent's kickoff was short, and the Colts started from their own 40. Nugent remains a complete failure.
5. Hopefully Eric Mangini will prove to be a better game coach than he was yesterday. The decision to go for it on 4th and goal wasn't as bad as the play call - a Chad Pennington draw, scramble to his right, and pass to fourth string tight end/long snapper James Dearth. According to Pennington, the play was actually designed for Dearth, who the Jets presumably thought would be left uncovered.
After three straight runs up the middle, that's all the Jets could come up with? Why not a play action on 2nd down and goal at the 3?
The Jets also used two timeouts in the second half, ensuring that they would have no chance for a tying field goal on their final drive. I thought Mangini abhorred wasting timeouts.
6. Admittedly, Leon Washington's foolish decision to take the ball out of the end zone on the final kickoff doomed the Jets in any event. Instead of getting the ball at the 20, the Jets started from their own 2 with 50 seconds left. The kickoff was actually short, yet nobody would catch it - in fact several players avoided it - and it went all the way to the end zone. Bad job all around by the return team on that play.
7. Cedric Houston was looking pretty good before sustaining a knee injury. Houston didn't look good on that cart.
8. Once again, the Jets started very conservatively on offense, stubbornly running between the tackles. The Jets need to understand that their three best players on offense are Chad Pennington, Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery. While they can't quit on the running game - which actually picked up from the 2nd quarter and was finally effective - they need to give Pennington and his receivers a chance to lead the offense.
posted on 10/02/2006
