Gary Myers Raises His Game
Where the rallying cry for years from Myers has been, “where’s the QB” now we know what the new one is gonna be … “where’s the Lombardi Trophy?”
Let’s face it: You can’t win without a quarterback.
The expectations for Sanchez and rookie coach Rex Ryan will be astronomical simply because the double-rookie formula worked so well last year in Atlanta with QB Matt Ryan and coach Mike Smith and in Baltimore with QB Joe Flacco and coach John Harbaugh. It used to be a quarterback needed two years before they felt comfortable. But, Ryan took over a 4-12 team and Flacco inherited a 5-11 team. The Falcons made the playoffs and the Ravens made it all the way to the AFC championship game.
The Jets right now are better than the Falcons and Ravens were at this time last year. In late November, the Jets were 8-3 and playing better than anybody in the AFC. They went just 1-4 down the stretch and missed the playoffs, but this is a team that has a lot of talent. Ryan has been trying to building a defense like he had in Baltimore: Very aggressive and basically daring the offense to score.
If those rookie quarterbacks and coaches can make the playoffs considering where they were one year ago, why can’t the Jets?
(Claps hand to forehead)
24 Responses to Gary Myers Raises His Game
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JetObsessed28 says:
Gary Myers is to beat writers as Aaron Heilman is to relief pitchers..
Am i the only one that feels that way? -
Jimbo says:
I swear some of these writers need to go away…
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blee says:
I’m pretty excited to see if Rhodes can take his game to another level this year…
I want to be the intimidating defense like the Ravens and Steelers have.If Jenkins can stay healthy and fresh throughout the season…
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Harlan Lachman says:
I cannot believe I have been suckered in and responding to that moron’s question, “If those rookie quarterbacks and coaches can make the playoffs considering where they were one year ago, why can’t the Jets?” but…
1) Neither Baltimore nor Atlanta has Tom Brady and the Patriots in their division.
2) Neither Baltimore nor the Falcons had tough schedules. The fact that the Ravens were coming off a 13-3 ’06 record surprised everyone in ’07 when they finished 5-11 (earning them an easier schedule in spite of the fact that they clearly had a good team). The Falcons in ’07 had an even worse 4-12 record and an even easier schedule.
3) Last year, our record, the proof that we have a better team than these rookie Qbs and Coaches had, was inflated by an easy schedule, a Pats team without Tom Brady, a Bills team weakened by injuries, etc. Real fans knew we had plenty of holes – holes still not filled at this point.
4. These HC and Qbs did not have to content with sniping mediaots like Myers and Cimini.
harlan
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Rollercoaster says:
I always thought Myers was an idiot, but this proves it to me. Like harlan said, both Balt. and atl had easy schedules last year. In fact, people forgot that flacco wasn’t supposed to start and only started catching fire toward the end of the season. Finally, ryan and flacco had more than 1 year. in college as a starter. Idiots like myer make the situation worse by raising expectations without foundation
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Lance Mehl says:
Myers IS an idiot
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j-rome says:
unbelievable
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seanmac31 says:
No team in football had an easier schedule last year than the Jets, which Myers seems to have missed. This year, the schedule is much harder. Throw in a rookie quarterback without nearly as much experience and a very dubious looking receiving corp and you’re talking about a bottom five offense. And the defense isn’t as good as people seem to think.
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david i says:
Harlan:
All I can say is. “You said all there is to say”.
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SackDance99 says:
seanmac, you’re projecting that the Jets, who had the 16th ranked offense last season, will slide to below 27th this season? And, the Jets will have the worst offense in the AFC East? I’d like to see how the offense looks in pre-season and, especially, whether Jones will be back and how Shonn Greene would fit in before I predict such a monumental drop in production. If that’s so, I guess that Favre guy must’ve been pretty good.
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The final numbers aren’t done, but as of right now, the answers are yes and yes. It’s a combination of factors- the assumption that there will be a rookie quarterback not named Matt Ryan starting, that the wide receiver group is unlikely to produce, and that the odds are good that the offensive line will have some injuries after going through 2008 entirely healthy, mixed in with the significantly more difficult schedule.
There are reasons to think otherwise- I think the offensive personnel make sense in theory in how they come together, and I think that on a run-heavy team that Sanchez’s skill set- he is very good at running play action bootlegs and making throws on the move- might allow him to be more successful than Flacco out of the gate. But it’s generally unwise to assume guys can play until they show they can play, and the Jets passing game as constructed is basically one giant question mark.
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PETER KING IS THE BEST WRITER PERIOD. if you guys have a chance, read his article on how the jets got the trade done with cleveland. it’s in his SI article from last week. he’s really good. he doesn’t predict anything, just stages facts. Myers and john clayton are absolutely horrendous. how many times do i have to see john clayton give a segment on espn, with spit bouncing up and down his mouth. the guy makes me want to throw up. i miss the days of when peter king was on nbc, with costas in the studio, giving his analysis and dirt on the nfl.
SEANMAC 31…
i see your point. we need depth more than anything. but give this offense a chance. we are going to run the hell out of the ball. we still have a top 12 offensive line, and give these receivers a chance. i have a good feeling about this regime. at least we have an IDENTITY. tough defense, run the ball, don’t turn it over. when was the last time we could say we knew who the new york jets were? give it time. it took cowher almost 15 years to win the super bowl. think about that. we have to be a little patient. i’m not saying 15 years, but things take time. -
seanmac,
Injuries are difficult to predict and on the OL would tend to hurt pass blocking more than run blocking. But, there’s also a chance that the OL will be better. I always thought, empirically, that OL continuity is critical. This will be the Jets’ OL’s second year together. Thus, barring injury, the OL play should IMPROVE. As for WR, I take it that your not saying that the Coles loss is all that important (if Stuckey replaces him, I do not believe that FO’s projections would change materially), it’s more that, even with Coles, the Jets WRs were sub-par as a unit. But, Keller should also improve.
I remember that FO’s projections rated KC, Chad and Favre roughly equivalent, even though KC’s 8 pro starts were, at best, uneven. So, it all comes down to Sanchez starting, right? And, to me, there’s the rub…KC and his uneven 8 starts presents such a material difference over Sanchez that the Jets offensive output plummets? I find that hard to believe.
Also, shouldn’t Shonn Greene help the running game, along with an anticipated increase in Leon’s carries? I can’t evaluate an offense that I haven’t see, yet. But, I’m guessing that the Jets’ running game, which only garnered 43% of all offensive snaps and yielded the fewest carries, 422, of any top 10 rushing team, should be improved. As for the passing game, IMO, less might be more for the offense. A 50-50 mix of run to pass might actually be more productive. I think FO’s projections may unfairly discount the Jets’ running game, which should be very potent.
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While continuity is important, offensive lines (or teams generally) that go through one season healthy tend to regress to the mean the following season. The Jets were the healthiest team in football last year, and that won’t happen two years in a row. And because this is not a team with quality depth, those injuries will hurt. Also, when there are players on the wrong side of 30, it’s more likely to see a decline than an improvement.
It doesn’t all come down to Sanchez starting- the numbers were just as bad when it was supposed to be Clemens or Ratliff. Either way you’re talking about a very inexperienced player, as you are with the receivers. The rule of thumb is that you assume a player can’t perform until they show you they can.
I do think that there’s a chance that the parts work together in a way that makes the offense more effective…say, along the lines of Baltimore, where there is a heavy emphasis on the run and where Sanchez is able to run a controlled play action game. But on paper it’s a bottom five offense, and the defense isn’t going to be as good as Baltimore’s, or even close to that in all probability.
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al says:
I remember once that Gary Myers wanted to be a Woman!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t know if he/she had the operation reversed?
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jay says:
noticed alot of these early mock drafts for NEXT year have us going early on (implying we wont get to or near the playoffs)… so the standard for us is kinda shaky after our late season collapse last year but i think if we dont make the playoffs its a failure….
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seanmac,
Not to dispute your injury conclusions because FO is usually pretty accurate, but only Faneca and Woody are over 30 on the OL. Faneca is probably the key player because RT, especially for the running game, isn’t a difficult position to replace. The other over 30 guys on offense, IMO, aren’t crucial for the offense. Yes, I know Jones played very well, but RB is probably the most fungible skill position in the NFL and the Jets did draft Shonn Greene. The other over-30 guy is Richardson and, again, I think the Jets likely have a decent option to replace him in Caulcrick or, perhaps, Southerland.
So, the real injury risk is Faneca or both he and Woody getting injured at the same time. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen!
Also, I’m intrigued by your concerns about the defense. Again, is age your concern? Or, that the Jets rely so heavily on Jenkins? The Jets upgraded their talent on defense with the additions of Scott, Leonhard, Sheppard, and Douglas. So, what’s the problem?
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JesusRevis says:
Seanmac,
Bottom 5 offense? Is it really that bad? I understand the lack of confidence at the QB position, but is the rest of the offensive roster really that bad? We did have both of our RB’s in the pro bowl last year and we also have a top 5-10 offensive line. The wide receiver group isn’t spectacular but its a lot closer to average than bad. Look at the Giants for instance, not to mention teams likes St. Louis, Chicago, Miami, Tennessee, Oakland, and others who are worse. Plus Dustin Keller should have a very productive season and will improve the passing game as well.
I know our offense isn’t great, but bottom 5? I respectively disagree with that, big time.
Also, we shouldnt strive, or set the bar for our defense in comparison to the Baltimore Ravens. However, this is a top 5 defense on paper, and while me way not finish the season 2nd in total defense like last years Ravens, top 5 is certainly a possibility.
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I don’t think this is anything close to a top five defense, myself. No Ravens coordinator has ever gone elsewhere and had anywhere near the same success they enjoyed in Baltimore, most likely because they couldn’t bring Ray Lewis in his prime or Ed Reed with them.
Our defensive line is exactly as strong as Jenkins lets it be. When he was hurt, teams killed us by running over the defensive ends, and we are now weaker there as a result of trading Coleman. If Jenkins stays healthy, he can compensate, but this is not all that strong a group.
Statistically, Bart Scott and Eric Barton are a wash. Scott will probably provide an upgrade, but it’s contingent upon Jenkins keeping him clean. Too much Sione Pouha out there and Scott is not a difference maker. Calvin Pace is a good player but not an elite pass rusher, and there is zero pass rush coming from a Thomas/Gholston platoon. Ryan will have absolutely no impact on Gholston’s development or rather his lack of development.
The secondary might be better, but it was one of the worst in the league last year, so that’s not saying much. Lito Sheppard is a terrible player at this point in his career and will be lucky to win a starting job. Any team that spreads us out and stays away from Revis will have no problems picking the defense apart, and really they can go after Revis, too, because there is no pass rush. This unit will be better, but it’s nowhere near an elite secondary, and will be lucky to be an average unit unless a pass rush magically materializes.
The offensive line is built to run the football, not to protect the quarterback (with the exception of left tackle, which is the exact opposite), and three of the five blockers are subpar pass protectors. Not a good situation for a rookie. The wide receiver corps as currently constituted is probably one of the five worst in the league, at least on paper, with a #2 having to play the role of #1 and a jumble of 3-4 types having to step in at #2.
Sanchez is stepping onto a team that just played the easiest schedule imaginable and didn’t perform at a very high level, and will now be expected to compete against what is a very difficult schedule while having minimal receiving support, an offensive line that won’t protect him all that well and a defense that people have wildly overrated based on the fact that the new coach happens to have been the coordinator for a good defense.
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Seanmac,
while most of the things you just said are completely reasonable, you also evaluated every aspect with a pessimistic outlook. I’m not saying none of it is true, but its almost like you described each unit in a “worst case scenario” point of view.
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Bent says: alex m – you said that Peter King is: “…really good. he doesn’t predict anything, just stages facts” but the article you reference says “mark my words, Abram Elam make it to the Pro Bowl in Cleveland.”
seanmac – I share many of your concerns. However, the one comment I would like to dispute is that Barton and Scott are a wash statistically.
Actually, Barton was the far more productive tackler last season, but that’s because he was playing the MIKE role and Harris (or Bowens, and in the last game, Trusnik) was the one taking on blockers. Scott was the one taking on blockers the whole time in Baltimore, enabling Lewis to play in space. When Barton was the primary block take-on guy in 2007, his tackle numbers were significantly lower than Scott’s in any of the past three years. However, let’s ignore tackle numbers and assume that they are more or less a wash.
What won’t show up statistically is the number of times Barton was picked on in the passing game. However, there is some statistical evidence to claim that Scott is an upgrade in that area. Passes defensed was close last year (5-4 to Scott), but is 19-8 over the last three seasons.
Next, per NFL.com’s gamebooks, Scott had 12 QB hits to Barton’s 4.
In addition, Scott had 13 tackles for a loss, to Barton’s 2. (Same source).
Sacks were dead even last year, but 16-8 over the last three years.
However, I would be interested in more detail if your statement that they are a wash statistically was based on one of FO’s measures. Even if it is though, I think my stats give more reason to be optimistic.
Another site, profootballfocus.com rates Scott much higher than Barton and credits the QB hits as 11-1 and pressures as 15-8.
In the interests of full disclosure though, missed tackles is 11-2 with Scott having 11. Also, Scott’s numbers could possibly be boosted by being on a more aggressive (and superior overall) defense last year.
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If Scott and Barton is a wash then we just wasted a ton of money.
I usually agree with Seanmac, but I strongly disagree here.
lol I think he wrote a article before the draft..
Article 1.(if jets dont draft QB)- Cant win iin this league without QB
Article 2. (If Jets draft QB)- If Ravens and Falcons can win with Rookie QB JETS gotta win SB or its a failure season.