Final Score: Jets 10 – Giants 7
Here’s five quick thoughts on last night’s game.
Passing Game Looks Good — Favre and Clemens had good success in moving the ball through the air against the Giants. The two combined for 18-24 with a good mix of receivers being used and many receivers with gains of 20 yards or more. Coles is still sidelined, but Cotchery is showing his deep play abilities and Dustin Keller is the seam ripper we were excited about in the middle of the field. Brad Smith is proving dangerous in space as usual, evidenced by his catch off a screen early in the game. I know it’s simple to say, but after a quick look at the stats, look forward to a lot more deep balls this season … a lot more. In his best year as a pro, Pennington only had 38 long passes of 20+ yards. Favre has only had two seasons ever with fewer deep balls, his first two as a starter and averages well into the 40s a season on 20+ yard passes. Get ready for a wild ride.
Running Game? Not So Much — It’s hard to not be troubled by what you’ve seen — or not seen — from the running game. The team has definitely been using the preseason to make sure their passing attack is ready, and it is … so far in the preaseason, it’s been one of the best and the team has thrown 21 more throws than runs. All the same, the unit has had trouble to average even four yards a play, a standard at the NFL level. My hope is that the team isn’t showing much right now and that the unit will gel quickly once the season starts.
Blushing at the Rush — The pass rush has looked pretty good as Calvin Pace demonstrated. Pace got things going for the Jets, who had eight sacks on the night. Others in on the fun: David Harris, Drew Coleman, CJ Mosley, Kareem Brown, Abram Elam & Cody Spencer. On Pace’s timely sack on third down, Pace came around the edge on LT David Diehl, speeding by while Gholston worked the offensive line’s right side and Kareem Brown brought pressure from his end spot, culminating in a nice loss.
Depth Players Showing Up — The depth that the team has built over the past few years is starting to work out for the Jets, as often evidenced when the backups start getting into the games and seem to do better comparatively to other teams backups. It’s hard to know who will be here for the final roster, but based on what the backups have shown so far, there’s confidence in this being a deep team from top to bottom, something I never really felt while Herm coached the team.
The Touchdown That Wasn’t — Due to a simple mistake, the Jets had an early touchdown pass from Favre to Cotchery called back because Bubba Franks came off the line, and no one covered his spot. It was a simple error, but a costly one that should prove a lesson for Mangini this week in meetings.
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Justin Miller got hurt again, what a surprise, I see Lowery starting very soon. How about Ratliff coming back after throwing a bad INT, getting benched for a series, then coming back in and throwing 2 darts to set up the GW TD. The depth on the team is going to be good. I like how Murrell and Brown play, good motors. Finally the D showed up, only one who didnt impress me was Eric Smith.
Going to be interesting who they keep/cut at WR, (should be Coles, Cotchery, Smith, Stuckey, Henry, Wright, put Raymond on Practice squad and Clowney on IR, if he is going to be out for more than half the season). Can they keep 6 WR? Teams are going to have so much trouble trying to cover a 4/5 WR/TE set, damn its gonna be fun.
Looks like we have a defense and a passing game. If we can get the running game going, we will be very dangerous.
I’m not worried about the running game. Favre will open things up, the line will eventually gel, and among Jones, Washington and Chatman someone will likely be reasonably effective on any given Sunday. I expect running back by committee as Jones does not warrant ‘feature back’ status.
Did anyone else feel that Brian Thomas was invisible? I didn’t see or hear anything about him all game.
Ramble- BT clearly made one tackle the annoucers pointed out, but besides that didnt see anything too impressive! Got to remember, the defense is still missing ellis, and he is on the same side where BT plays. Ellis is another pass rusher who i believed tied as the leader in sacks last year with Harris. Cant wait to get him back!
Free Safety-Might be our Biggest Weakness on Defense! Cannot believe that horrible play at the end of the 2nd quarter by eric smith, not able to bring down Hixon in the middle of the field and allowed him to pick up extra yards and go out of bounds. And what was with Barrett playing FS? Not really sure if i can say Barrett made mistakes as a FS, at least nothing that jumped out at me. Quess this is acknowledging that he lost a step, and his man cover skills arent the best!
Corner Backs- Not impressed with miller, hope he is alright, but think this makes is clear that the starter will probably be Lowery who seems to be always in the right spot. He almost had an interception when he attacked the QB and jumped up to block the ball, got both hands on it. Great at tackling in the open field too! I like poteat- thought he held his own last year, started half the season; and coleman had a sack and interception -looks good too.
VG- One big mistake on containment in the running game which allowed Jacobs to have a nice gain, but saw a few times where he pushed his man back into the pocket. Work in Progress!
T-Jones looked very slow and immobile. I just don’t see the bust he had in chi-town. L-Washintion is easy to take down. Chatman looked good by isn’t a impact player. I think we should take a close look at the wavier wire.
NYPOST SAYS WESTHOFF COMING BACK!!!!
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08242008/sports/jets/jets_westhoff_to_coach_again_125831.htm
I was very impressed with Pace last night — not only the sacks, but he seems to be around the ball, and unlike Hobson last year, doesn’t get buried by blocks. He and Jenkins make the front seven much bigger, and as that 4th and 1 play demonstrated, more stout. Take out the play where Gholston blew containment and it was a solid night for the rushing defense, which made me feel better.
Gholston — as we said in the chat last night, it’s a shame that the 6th overall pick is a project, but that’s what he is. Sometimes he looks good, other times, completely lost. I think you didn’t see so much out of Thomas last night because they had Gholston in his spot quite a bit.
Even before Miller’s injury, I think it was becoming clear that Lowery might be the starter opposite Revis, which is fine by me. He looks to be a very good corner — and despite his lack of “straight-line speed”, he seems to play at NFL speed.
I also like that the coaching staff is leaving all the rookies they’re counting on — Lowery, Gholston & Keller — out on the field for extended time to give them as much experience as possible.
Overall, a solid effort. Once the run game gets going — and sorry, but Jones has yet to look good — the team should be more than competitive.
Brian,
I have to agree with you that, among a lot of positives, the running game is not looking all that promising. Leon looked good but not necessarily running directly into the line. TJ not so much. Still, running requires a lot of reps between the backs and the line. There may be no significant improvement for half a season even if all the elements are in place. We can only hope that the elements are there and that it takes less time.
On the other hand, the offense is taking on Favre’s personna just as it took on Chad’s. It is quickly developing all the feel of a coiled rattlesnake. I think it will put opposing defenses on edge in a very immediate sense and DCs will be constantly worrying about the big play. This alone may open up the run as teams thin out their run blockers to guard against the pass. The run game may be just good enough to exploit these imbalances.
I was pleased to see how well the Jets matched up to the Superbowl champs who totally spanked Cleveland last week! I had hoped to see more results from the running game, even if it was just a “push” of the pile. But I think with Richardson, Callahan, and the improved line that it will eventually come.
The only place you will find BT is on the back of a Milk carton. I hope we can keep Pocsiak but I cant see how that will happen. We should keep 6 WR but we cant do that and keep 5 TE. How about Raymond’s catch on that TD! Ratliff’s pick was a combination of a great zone blitz and young QB but the way he came back was just Testaverde esq!
I’ll take Brown, Murrell, Cummings, and Spencer.
It appeared that the Giant linebackers played run first. Their linebackers filled the gaps quickly. This is where play-action passing will negate that advantage.
well i think when we face the dolphins bad rush D then we can have an illusion of a god rush offense
Questions To All!
I haven’t paid enough attention to where Kareem Brown has been lining up, so has he been playing DE or DT or both?
Also I havent noticed or heard Sione Pouha name being called during any of the preseason games. Has Pouha been out there and just been quiet or has he not been playing much?
Finally, do u see CJ Mosley as the much cheaper version/replacement of Dewayne Robertson?- the smaller DT thats quick and powerful! – great in those pass rushing schemes!
The thing that really jumped out at me was how well Brad Smith played. he made a great one handed catch for a first down (nullified by penalty), and that big gain he had on the WR screen might have been the first time I’ve seen that play work for the jets.
I wonder how much the formation penalties are the result of having a new signal caller.
Pouha played with the 2nd team defense and got pushed aroud a bit. I’m a little concerned about that position. Someone named Thomas Johnson who apparently started for the Cowboys for a few games is the 3rd string Nose. Anyone else praying Jenkins starts all 16 games?
Otherwise I am real happy with were the defense is. Lowery can play. On offense my prediction is Leon Washington will be the #1 back by mid season. He’ll be our Tiki Barber who many thought couldn’t carry the load then turned out to be great.
Freeman, Def agree about Leon. I think the combo of him and TJ would work better the other way around. As in use TJ in the 4th when they are tired and we have a lead as opposed to trying to comeback with Leon. Run to victory!
our passing game looks good…our running game needs more work…but i also think leon should start as i have said this since we drafted him…pass rush was really good and has me excited for the season…our
depth seems to be good all around…and the TD that wasn’t was beautiful…
as for VG…no1 mentioned that on the next play he fixed his mistake by keeping containment allowing ( i think )
it was barton to make the stop…yes,VG is up and down but he is learning…once it clicks for him he will be a beast to reckon with…
along with barton,harris and pace…the last time i was this giddy with our LBs was when we had lewis, jones,cox and farrior…this 3-4 is looking like a true 3-4…lowery is another 4th round gold nugget…he will start opposite revis…
i really want to see how good our D is when ellis gets back from his injury…just my thoughts…
Dakar: VG didn’t “fix his mistake”, he made a good play. I know exactly what you are talking about and it was a very solid play by VG.
However, you can’t get owned and allow an 18-yard gain and then do the right thing on a subsequent play, resulting in a 1-yard loss, and claim to have made the JETS whole!
Freeman, Reprocity and Dakar,
I think LW is a terrific talent and can be a starter and may be, just not this year. Remember, TJ’s best carries come between 12 and 22. He needs a few reps to get it going. He has always said this. If the O line gels, I think TJ will have an awesome year.
VG looked better and once he catches up to speed and figures out the nuances of the NFL game he will be the beast we all hoped for.
Lowery should start. PERIOD.
Cotchery is a FANTASY SLEEPER.
VG was a defensive end in college. He had no responsibitly in coverage and his only job was to go get the QB and set the edge on run plays.
Now, he has to worry about dropping back into coverage and people are underestimating how hard that can be for a DL. Give the guy some time to learn his new position. If you guys watch, he is late off the line of scrimmage and he is always looking into the back field to try to figure out what he is diong. Once he starts playing football and not reacting to whats going on the field, he will be very special because he has all the tools.
As for TJ, give me a break. He had 6 carries in the game. As the number 1 back on our team, 6 carries a game will not cut it for anyone. You need to feed this guy the rock in order to get the most out of him.
TJ – 17+ carries a game.
LW – 8+ carries a game.
I just watched the tape of the Giants game again. A couple of thoughts:
1) VG was half an arm’s length from a sack on a couple of different plays. On Pace’s second sack he split a double team between the RB and RT and would have had Eli if Pace didn’t beat him there by a half second. He’s already superior to B Thomas as a pure rusher and will give some D Coordinator’s problems on that alone. Having said that, he’s got a lot to learn and the jury’s out on whether he can become a complete player, never mind a star. You might hope for a bigger immediate impact out of a #6 pick but it’s way too early to really rate him.
2) Though I loved him on the field, Greg Buttle’s commentary is insufferable. Thank God for fast-forward.
Has anyone commented on how ineffective Thomas Jones has been? — Washington and Chatman made things happen — Jones did not — If Jones is still stinking up the joint by the bye week then he should be benched in favor of Washington –
Sorry — Just got in from out of town and I now see that people have commented on Jones — Remember, he underperformed last year and has not shown any explosiveness yet thus far in the preseason — I’ll go along with the “he needs a lot of reps” viewpoint for a few games but not too many, as, again, Washington and Chatman are making things happen right now –
Underperformed last year? The guy ran for 1119 yards behind the an AWFUL AWFUL offensive line, teams stacked the line with 7 or 8 defenders bc they were not freightened by Pennington nor Clemens and Coles was hurt leaving only Cotchery as a threat.
You simply cannot judge TJ on the number of carries he has in the preseason. He is a grinder like Curtis Martin was. He gets better as the game goes on. In 2007 he ran for 1200 and avgd 4.1 per carry and in 2006 he ran for 1335 and averaged 4.3 per carry.
He is a work horse, will get the job done and have a solid season if the O line gels.
1. Overall i’m not concerned about the running game. I mean the Giants have a pretty good defensive front seven. The Jets offense was more effective with Leon Washington in the game. The Tiki Barber comparison is looking like a reality.
2. Our defense showed a lot. The Giants were first and goal and didn’t even get a feild goal. On the first sack by Pace watch Jenkins’ motor never stop.
3. The passing game looked very good. I have posted in the past my disatisfaction with Brad Smith and Kellen Clemens. Brad Smith made the one handed catch that I was not sure he could make and I admit I was wrong about him. Clemens looked very good at times but he still panics at other times. Over all though his outing was a plus and I hope I was wrong about him also.