Game Recap: One Day Out of Paradise
When Adam and Eve left paradise, they had to learn the nature of their new world. What would life be like without the benign, watchful oversight of God? It was much the same setting for the Jets this week in their home game against the Carolina Panthers. Both teams were 4-6. Reason enough to be cast out of Eden. Gone were the lofty expectations. Gone was the warm embrace of a gushing press corps and the uncritical affection of an adoring fan base. It was the real world, baby. Get used to it.
The Jets turned out to be ready, the Panthers not so much. The Jets, playing just well enough on offense, and superbly on defense sealed a badly needed win 17-6, and left themselves still in mathematical shooting distance of the playoffs.
Naturally, the outside world is not so comfy as Eden. As if to underline the change in circumstances, Kerry Rhodes, stalwart starting free safety for the past three years, was on the sidelines, a victim of his own poor play this season. Mark Sanchez, too, seemed to have a new attitude which could have been labeled, “Remember the outlet receiver, dummy. Don’t screw up.” Even the offense looked different as the commitment to the run seemed purposeful and determined instead of predictable and impotent. Sanchez seemed to have open receivers. An apparition to anyone who watched the last few games.
The defense looked aggressive, but on the first series, it looked like it was playing nice and nasty instead, playing superbly on first and second downs, then waving DeAngelo Williams through on third and long for three consecutive first downs. You wanted to spit. But, then, all-world Darelle Revis was passing by as Jake Delhomme, he of the early season interceptions that drove Panthers’ fans crazy, hit Steve Smith on the back of his foot. Smith, who lacked a prehensile heel, kicked the ball into the arms of Revis, instead. Revis ran it in for a pick-6. The defense’s first of the season. I know.
The two teams went after each other for the next fifteen minutes without much headway for either team. The Panthers were playing well against the run, and the Jets were running. Add in, Panthers. The Jets were playing well against both the pass and the run, and the Panthers werre running and doing an awful job of passing. Add in, Jets. Gradually, Sanchez seemed to gain the upperhand. Intermediate passing to Dustin Keller, and timely scrambling (which Jets’ fans haven’t seen in weeks), seemed to be having an impact. Still, it was a series of turnovers that eventually turned into points. The sequence went something like this.
The Panthers get the ball on the 20. Delhomme, on first down, tried to hit Smith down the right sideline but he wasn’t open. Rex had had Revis blanketing the Pro Bowler on every play. As other coaches have learned, one-on-one coverage by Revis suggests that the covered player will have a great game the following week. The inevitable result of the pass, then,was another Revis interception. For what its worth in the Pro Bowl voting, Smith was 1 for 5, for five yards for the game. Revis had more yardage in INT returns. Much more. So the Jets got the ball with pretty good field position on their own 42. Three plays later, they’re knocking on the door, but Shonn Green lets the ball squirt out up the middle, ruining a nice scoring opportunity.
So, the stage was set for disappointment. The Jets were up 7-3 with 2:18 to go in the half. A Panthers’ score puts a nice thirty minutes of defense in the worthless category. But, pressure by the rush forces Delhomme to throw it away and, the demoted Kerry Rhodes, with no INTs, sacks or forced fumbles all season, is playing center field like he should, and the ball comes right to him. The Jets’ offense, with less than two minutes, then, smartly drivesthe ball into the end zone with clever, timely passing and aggressive running, including a really nifty move by TJ to punch it in. Whatever somebody said to Schotty, say it again. I can live with this game plan when the defense is playing like this.
So, the Jets entered the second half outplaying the Panthers and leading 14-3. They then had to survive a series of incidents calculated to test my resolve as a fan. The first mistake was Dustin Keller’s, and it was a huge blunder. With the score already 14-3, the Jets offense drove the opening series of the half from their own 27 to the Panthers 17. On third and six, Sanchez threw a dart to Keller who caught the ball on the two. Then, inexplicably, with the game in hand, with a first down in the bag, he saw the end zone and went stupid, reaching the ball out for a touchdown. Of course, he was stripped by Chris Harris. The second blunder was less glaring. Later in the quarter, Sanchez, after tweaking his knee and sitting out a few plays, came back to under throw Braylon Edwards, low and behind him, which led to a turnover on the fifty. He was open for what it’s worth. The Panthers, stifled on offense most of the game, would then spread the field and drive to the nine, but they had to settle for three. Still, they were within eight, one score plus conversion.
But, the Jets’ defense would not let Carolina back in to the game. Time and again, series after series, they turned the Panthers back. After 52 minutes, Carolina had 128 yards, eleven fewer than Mark Sanchez, and that wasn’t counting his yards scrambling. They would finish with 198 and wouldn’t score again. In the process, Delhomme would throw four picks, two to Revis, and two to the rejuvenated Kerry Rhodes, who showed some life but did not win his job back. Eric Smith finished with eight tackles. That should keep him in the starting lineup for the time being.
It was a workmanlike win, made closer by some mistakes. The Green and Keller turnovers both cost points, probably ten. Still, they won. They covered. And it was a fun game to watch—well, most of it. They’re still in it and, I suppose, at this point, that’s all that matters.
Short week coming up. Buffalo on Thursday night. Can they even their record? We’ll see.
103 Responses to Game Recap: One Day Out of Paradise
-
If the Jaguars lose @ the 49ers and Steelers (w/o Roethlisberger) lose to the Ravens, we will be only 1 game back of the 2nd wild card spot.
-
Eddie DiGio says:
Something Chez has to learn and work on is getting the ball high to Braylon on a deep route. The kid has a good arm but its not a Brett Favre laser. He threw it to the guy he should have but it was just a bad throw, actually if its a good throw Braylon probably takes it to the house
-
matt says:
good win…. nice play by woodhead on third and short… get him the ball a little more.. see what happens… not a feature guy but out of the slot ….
-
steviek says:
couldnt resist but i had to check the schedules of the other wc contenders in the afc east.
pittsburgh has an easy schedule, denver also fairly easy but they’re inconsistent, jacksonville same.
even if they win out and go 10-6 probably still wouldnt get a wildcard. -
greg sec 130 says:
ronnie, the only way in will be to beat Indy on the road, and either run the table or only lose the Tamp game. The conference losses stand at 5 so we would not beat those teams in tiebreakers.
-
steviek is right, tho I disagree that 10-6 wont make it. 10-6 gets in I think, 9-7 they wont.
If we lose that game we are 9-7 at best with 6 conference losses, and either Steelers or Ravens will also be 9-7 with only 5 conference losses.
So either Jets beat Indy, or the Broncos would have to lose 4 of 5 (two vs KC and one vs Oakland, so doubtful), AND Steelers or Ravens would also have to collapse, AND Jacksonville has to lose 5 straight games.
Also, Miami plays Steelers and Jacksonville, so they would have to lose their other games.
They can make it at 9-7 if everything breaks right and the only loss is to Tampa, or 10-6 would probably make it.
-
Every game is winnable
Buffalo
Tampa
Atlanta – struggling team with a hurting QB and RB
Colts – probably resting banged up players but still extremely tough
Bengals – can have everything wrapped up by then. -
To recap for anyone still rooting for 2009:
Jacksonville must lose their next five games, Broncos must lose 4 of their next 5, and Steelers or Ravens have to win both of their head-to-heads to knock the other out. That or we must beat Indy.
I will not give up, obviously, but forget the other teams for a while.
-
Greg, we can beat Indy.
They already clinched everything in the AFC.
They wouldn’t risk Manning against a blitzing defense. Not only that, you can count on every important player with a scratch on their finger to sit out that game. -
I agree with you ronnie — but my point is that if they are 10-6 they will get in, at 9-7 I think it’s very unlikely if that loss is the Indy game, because you would need three of Steelers, Ravens, Denver and Jax team to be 8-8, and that is almost impossible.
But I agree that anything is possible and running the table would not surprise me, nor would losing the next five. I’ve been a fan long enough to see both (Pete Carroll 6-4 team lost 6 straight, 1998 they ran table, etc etc). To anyone that says it’s not possible is just guessing based on probability.
-
I have more confidence in the Jets vs the Colts than the Jets vs the Bills this week.
We play great against great teams but suck it up vs the lower level teams -
Joe B. says:
I’ll refer to him by his name by now, but despite the two picks, I’m not too enamored with Kerry’s attitude after the game. He finally made a play, but let’s be serious, he caught two dying duck interceptions that anyone with two hands and eyes could’ve snagged. Let’s not get cocky Kerry, you still deserve to be on the bench for now. Eric Smith played huge today.
-
Dylan says:
Lets just take it one game at a time. Next week the Jets need to take care of Buffalo. The good news is that its in Toronto so the Bills wont really have a home field advantage. The bad news is that they put a beating on Miami today, who we lost to twice.
-
Tampa is the game that scares me. I think the short week helps the Jets.
Look — bottom line is, I know people will get on us for talking playoffs after one win, and deservedly so. What I really want is two wins here, so the Jets are back in the conversation. That’s all. 7-6. Then a big game vs Atlanta to see what this team is made of, what it has learned, how much it has grown, and then win or lose vs Indy, it’s a successful season even if we’re 8-8 or 9-7, as long as Sanchez improves and the team plays like it did today. This team turning things around and beating Atlanta and Cincy to finish 9-7 is as good as a first round playoff loss, even if the midseason growing pains caused us to not actually make it.
-
greg -
Well said. I’d like for them just to be in the conversation. That means winning these next two. If they can get those games, then win one or two of their last three, I’ll be satisfied that they at least made a good run at it.
-
Brian says:
To quote Josh mcdaniels “we are trying to win a mother f,in game”. We need that intensity the last 5 weeks.
-
Shamik says:
At this point, I don’t want to worry about playoffs. Approach each game individually. Just grind out a good win like today. Playoffs are a long-shot anyway, but whats more important is to get this team to come together and develop better chemistry. I’ll be happy just to see good solid football, win or lose, playoffs or not.
-
you guys are all ridiculous. can we just enjoy the win today. and hope we come out on thursday and play a good game.
god. -
southfloridajetsfan says:
Forget the playoffs. Those hopes were left on the field when our D couldnt get off the field with a win vs JAX. Lets just enjoy this win. Its been a while.
-
Ronnie- you are a true jet fan man, keep it up, dont give up til the math says its impossible
Joe B
Yea man Kerry Rhodes acted like he beat the Panthers all by himself. Im going to give him a pass bc he got benched, played good and was probably really drained from the whole situation, plus like you said E Smith hits like a linebacker at safety. Why under Mangini was he always grossly out of position?
Anyone notice the Drew Coleman sighting out there, he actually made a tackle where he wasnt chasing the guy from behind 15 yards past the first down marker
-
my (shaky) math figures that 10-6 wont get in for the jets. i guess greg agrees.
have to figure pittsburgh gets 1 spot.
that leaves jck, hou, den, blt & tn as teams that still have a shot.
they lose a bunch of tiebreakers on conference record, although they have head-to-head on tn & hou & lose it to jck, which goes first over conf record.
root for tn & hou and against jck (thank you niners), den & blt (figuring baltimore beats pittsburgh tonite at home with no roethlisberger.
but of course, blah, blah, blah, buffalo first. -
ps re: the playoffs….. .
i’ve always believed that if fans are thinking it, theres a pretty good chance players are thinking about it too.
how can you not? that’s the whole point of the season and why losses suck.
-
THIS is also how you develop a young QB. Solid running, simple reads and routes and let the kid scramble out of trouble if he needs. That + solid D will get you wins any day. I hope this did some wonders to Sanchez’s confidence. Now I just hope they dont underestimate the Bills.
-
bleedsgreen&white says:
I think today was a huge step forward the kid managed the game first time i ever saw that this year and due to that the turnover wasnt magnified since the D wasnt on the field all day. dont get me wrong playing jake delhomme doesnt hurt either…lol…hes a turnover machine. Idk about all the scenarios but it we can win the rest of the year playing solid fundamental football them maybe theres a chance but a 10-6 record or even 9-7 would be awesome. Great win a way to grow up jets….keep it coming…..How bout hollywood? hey hey
-
jeff i says:
lost on a lot of people re: sanchez is that it’s a lot easier to play from ahead as a rookie QB — you can just manage the game. but when you are playing from behind and need to make plays the pressure intensifies and mistakes are made. i think if you look back at sanchez’s season his performances definitely tend to follow this template.
-
alex morizio, you are the one who is ridiculous to ridicule other people for discussing their thoughts after a game. Roll your eyes all you want at other people, call us names and call out to your god, but I won’t apologize for posting my thoughts on the rest of the season and not just posting happy thoughts about this game.
-
I just have to say, Is anyone paying attn. to Cutler in Chicago. he has thrown two more pics today which makes 20! Where would we be if the “organization” listened to the fan base and given up the farm for him?? I am glad they went the direction they did, Sanchez WILL get better!
-
I can’t believe Orton is performing better, and they got three high picks with him.
I remember someone defending his 18 picks last year, I think it was JesusRevis when arguing with Igs?
-
JetObsessed28 says:
well.. i’m happy about today..
offense played like Paul Hackett was calling the shots.. very conservative (not too happy bout that)..But, nice defense.. forced them to make mistakes and the jets make em pay..
Let’s hope Thursday is a victory as well… go jets!
-
Jamie Abingdon, MD says:
Let’s just worry about Thurs night and Tampa thereafter follwed by…and then…one week at a time.
-
the whole one week at a time vrs playoff scenarios thing…. its all the same….
cant beat buffalo in toronto simply not as good a team as i (we?) thought and dont deserve playoffs.
cue jim mora on you tube. -
firstdown77 says:
DID DARRELLE REVIS HAVE MORE CATCHES THAN STEVE SMITH??
-
Greg 130… I know, who would have thought Orton would be on the team leading a Playoff push..Like I said, I am HAPPY that we did not give up the farm for him!!! I feel for all those Chicago Fans!!!
-
NamVetJet says:
At game today—good win. Like the conservative game plan—just what Sanchez needed. Defense played real well. Like when we win games we are supposed to win. Still looking for an 8-8 season anything better is gravy.
-
Zartan says:
Message to Kerry Rhodes, you had two gimme INTS! why are you throwing balls at fans? how about you make a takle to go with the INTs or at least record an assist.
Once again the play calling was better , just dont agree with letting everyone know your running by going in running formations unless you are completly dominating.
-
Kevin says:
it was a good win cause the Jets needed it badly, but let’s face some reality here, the only 2 wins of the last 8 games have been against the Raiders and the Panthers. We know about the Raiders, but the Panthers are terrible!!! Playoffs, let’s get real, we’ll see what happens against Buffalo.
-
My Pet Goat says:
You need an editor.
-
Vince Young leads the Titans to a 99 yard touchdown drive in the final 2 minutes of the game to win 20-17.
Absolutely amazing finish. -
Dane says:
It was a good win. The crowd was into the game the whole time (I was there). The thing was…there were a bunch of empty seats which I saw. Shows the lack of faith that our team will perform well.
-
Havent broken out this quote in a while: “VINCE YOUNG WINS GAMES!!”
-
Klecko HOF says:
PLAYOFFS????!!!
-
I am not saying that we will make the playoffs or that we have a very good chance at making it.
All I want is for us to be in it as long as possible. We can reasonably be in week 16 and still in it. At the same token we can be 6-8 then. But we are definitely still in this thing. -
Broadway12 says:
I think Eric Smith deserves to start again why mess with what seemed to work? Plus Kerry made it look like he jumped a few routes and put a couple of guys on IR??? ES hits like he wants to go thru a player. Playoffs i am not thinking, i just want Sanchez to show improvement. I can care less about the vanilla play calling when you let SHOTTY try and get imaginative its a recipe for disaster. HE STINKS! Callahan for OC next year
-
mdGordon says:
One game at a time….let’s beat Buffalo, then Tampa…and we’ll go from there.
-
greg sec 130 says:
Dane — was this your first game or you been to a lot this season? Where were you sitting, cause it was the tamest crowd I’ve seen all season (especially for a win). Felt like the fans know this season is all about 2010.
-
Ryan says:
I actually enjoyed watching this game even though some would say it was boring. they seemed in control all game and I actually was able to keep my heart rate at a semi-normal pace, which is something I havent been able to do since the Raider game. There clearly not trying to do anything big in the passing game, which is why I cant get on the receivers, and they ran the clock and controlled the game with the RBs. Im not sure what to make of Kerry Rhodes after the game, at first I was kind of upset that he didnt want to answer questions from the media, but then when I thought about it, all the fans have been saying is “stop talking” blah blah blah so maybe he was just protecting himself from saying something stupid which is a smart move by him. Nice game by him AND Eric smith. I really like how the defense looks with both of these guys playing, I think the luxury of having kerry rhodes playing SS and an extra DB in certain packages all game is an advantage no other team has. No nfl team has an “Extra” db as good as Kerry Rhodes, and if Eric smith can continue to hold his own as the starter. dont change what they did today. When the jets win it just make s me enjoy the whole game of football more. lets get it done thursday!
-
here’s what worries me about callahan:
he did nothing to disguise or adjust the raiders offense in the super bowl vs. TB, which gruden and co. took huge advantage of.. they knew what was coming on every play.. not having that foresight is a little discouraging.. i hope, for our sake, that he learned from that mistake…
-
Crazy Jets Fan!!! says:
How about the Patriots going on a losing streak and then the Jets going on to win the division? Anything is possible after all.
-
MrJetGreen says:
OK, we were able to beat a mediocre Panther team with the QB playing for us……..the whitehouse trip is still on hold so lets go easy with the Kool Aide.
-
Under Callahan’s guidance, the Raiders led the NFL in passing for the first time in team history and led the league in total offense for just the second time in team history.
-
The Raider offense led the league in rushing in 2000 and led the league in passing in 2002. In 2002, the Raiders became the first team to win games in the same season while rushing at least 60 times (against Kansas City in a 24-0 win) and passing at least 60 times (against Pittsburgh in a 30-17 win). The Raider offense also set many franchise records during this period, including fewest sacks allowed (28) in 2000, a mark that was broken the following year (27).
-
Greg I will be quite honest that it was my first game (I am only 16). But, I mean sure, other than on 3rd down it was not that loud…but idk..i was probably more caught up in the moment. I know for the 4 INTs the place was rocking i thought. Just my opinion.
-
Harvlis says:
I thought Eric Smith made more plays in this game than Kerry Rhodes made all year. There is a stark difference in their tackling ability. They used Rhodes well and his benching woke him up a bit. I agree with Broadway 12 — keep Smith on the field.
Our offense was pedestrian. Shotty’s play calls are obvious. He plays scared, because he is an incompetent OC. Notice how, at the end of the game, the play calling was totally wimpy and, we gave the ball back to Carolina. At that point, a good coach controls the end of the game. Bill Parcells would never had allowed them to get the ball back. Good coaches end the game right there. We gave Carolina too many opportunities. A better team than Carolina will beat us every time. What happened to the motion offense that we heard about all off-season. We don’t do anything to confuse the defense. Barely any mis-direction. I hate Shottenheimer.
Still too many time outs that get taken for the wrong reasons, on both offense and defense. This is something Rex has to work on. Why he delayed calling for the field goal at the end of the game is a mystery to me. It was a no-brainer. Makes it a two score game. Come on, Rex.
-
Harvlis -
While I agree that kicking the FG was the right decision, I think the missed FG from the same spot by Feely and the inefficiency of the punt coverage unit at least prompted consideration of going for it. Still, you’re right, he’s got to know what he wants to do on 3rd down, so he doesn’t have to burn a timeout on 4th.
-
MEL31602 says:
Harvlis- would you have thought the play calling at the end was “wimpy” if they went deep and Sanchez threw a pick six to put the panthers back in the game???
-
StvDoe says:
I try to be as optimistic as the next guy. Moreso even.
But discussing the playoffs at this point is just plain silly.If we can somehow win our next three and get to 8-6, then you MIGHT be able to entertain such thoughts, but probably not even then. Given the teams that hold tiebreakers over us, even at 8-6, we’re likely already out of the picture.
At this point the only reasonable focal points are beating Buffalo and seeing overall improvement.
-
Kyle says:
Kerry Rhodes shut me up today.
But start Eric Smith.
-
Green Lantern says:
Eric Berry Reminds Me Of Ed Reed TOO MUCH. Its crazy we need to get out hands on him.
-
freddys dead says:
calm down with kerry rhodes. Both of those interceptions were routine balls. Especially the 2nd one he just threw it up in the air and it landed in his lap. He didnt play poorly… but i thought Eric Smith played a solid game, and Rhodes didnt do anything to make me think he should start.
-
wer gunnu have to start loosing if we want a shot at Berry hes gonna be a top 5 pick.
-
Glocknsoul says:
Believe it or not, we had the better QB today. Says more about Panthers than us.
-
or trade Rhodes for the Browns pick..
-
StvDoe -
While I agree with the overall premise of your post, I don’t know that this: “Given the teams that hold tiebreakers over us, even at 8-6, we’re likely already out of the picture” is accurate. We hold tiebreakers over Houston and Tennessee while Jacksonville and Miami (extremely tough late schedules) have the tiebreakers over us. With Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Denver it’s way too early too tell.
I agree that it’s an extreme longshot that we make it, but if we somehow miraculously get to 10-6, I don’t think tiebreakers are likely to get in our way.
-
Harvilis, thou dost protest too much! I think the conservative play-calling was perfectly fine towards the end. We need to control the clock to wind down the game and thats what they did. Of course Delhomme helped us out in the end, but you certainly don’t need Sanchez flinging around the ball needlessly.
-
Andrew Weiss says:
harvlis
I’ve been a pretty consistent critic of Scottenheimer but I was pleasantly surprised today. Maybe it was Rex’s input. For one thing, Sanchez was throwing to open receivers. That’s good play calling. Those turn-around outs to Edwards worked. Keller was wide open on crossing routes. They also ran what looked like the old Packers’ power sweeps that I hadn’t seen before and worked real well. There was also that third down call to Woodhead late in the game on the field goal drive. Really nice design. To me, I think I finally saw the Rex game plan, maybe for the first time. It worked for Sanchez, and it worked for me.
-
harvlis
One more thing. On that last series they got a holding call on first down. They were deep in their own end, first and twenty, protecting a lead against a solid pass rushing team with three time outs. The first priority had to be to get them to use up their time outs by keeping the clock running. They’ve also got a rookie qb who throws picks on short routes. No way I’m passing the ball.
-
LukeV says:
Man, Jets should of drafted Ray Rice! He’s an animal!
-
Randommm says:
would it be a ridiculous idea to convert rhodes to a CB and have smith become full time starter at safety? idk if rhodes has any experience there or if hes the right size to play CB but itll give him more chances to make some INT and it will also allow us to get rid of lito AND itll give us a safety who can…. play safety.. any thoughts??
-
vajet says:
good win.
a.weiss, i have to agree with you. the whole game, i saw the offense playing a game that seemed planned and schemed by rex. THANK GOD. at times, schotty seemed constipated on the sideline, and it really made me feel good. i was looking for some more of the zone blocking schemes than i saw implemented, but i’ll take the consistent running we got any day.
hopefully, after this season schotty’s gone. rex has to see it’s not worth keeping him. sanchez had a good game. safe passes, and again, he made some really good decisions – moving his eyes, checking down the passes.
this is why you want the bumps during the first half of the season folks, let’s keep it going! GO JETS!
-
rhodes out wide would have me very, very nervous. eric smith played very well today people, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. i definitely agree he played well enough to keep his starting role, but this is #33. i’d like a few more games before i think of trading rhodes.
-
Jetsrdone says:
Great game by the defense…The offense stunk as usual…Schottenheimer appeared to have followed a Paul Hackett game plan…The sad thing is that’s actually an improvement over Schotty’s usual game plan!!!! Can Rex be a man and replace Schotty with Callahan already!!!! This is getting ridiculous!!!!!!! Schotty is gonna blow a game for the Jets and ruin any chance of them sneaking into the playoffs…Replace Schotty before he has the opportunity to do so….
-
Dean Barbella says:
I agree. Rhodes kicked it up a notch. playing nickel off the bench.
Obviously, he’s got a huge contract and swimming under a Rex Ryan defense that is designed to showcase him.If he fails (week 10 benching), the best we can do is drop him. Rather, I’d be stoked to land
Rather, I’d be stoked to draft (trade up) Eric Berry – Tenn. A stud Safety prospect smart enough to quarterback our defense.
By the way and for those who don’t already know, greg sec 130 is just a Rah Rah Rah Guy.
Won’t let anyony say a side-ways word against his team… even if the criticism is meant to be constructive.
-
Kerry Rhodes quote [to media]:
‘‘I got the message. Now, I’m moving on and you’re going to see Kerry Rhodes. You saw Kerry today and that’s what you’ll see.’’
I for one, would like to continue to see it. But, don’t get to comfortable, Hollywood. You’ve got the talent, but will ya dedicate yourself. Today, you did! Keep it up!
-
Steve W. says:
Let’s just hear it for the defense that shut down a top NFL running back tandem in Williams and Stewart. I also saw a level on intensity with the big hits
( Westerman, E. Smith and even Drew Coleman) that i have not seen in a while. -
latinlawyer says:
Ok…Pittsburgh lost so 1 game seperates the Jets from the 6th playoff slot…1 game with 5 games left…
I hope they just focus at a game at a time…they have two very winnable games in TB and Buff. Those games as wins gets them to 7-6…then you have Atlanta, Indy and Cincy…
As we have seen before, the team plays well when their competition is good and sinks when the competition is bad. So lets hope they break that streak and go up to Canada this thursday and win.
One game at a time…
-
Is it time to officially annoint Gholston a bust? I want to see more of Westerman…
-
Even though Schotty limited Chez’s turnovers and stuck with the run today…I still would rather have Callahan or Cavanaugh calling the plays next year
-
Right now thinking of the playoffs is crazy. This is a team that loses almost everytime they are expected to win. Right now the Jets just have to be concerned with winning each week and hoping Miami loses along the way so they can grab 2nd place and let the cards fall where they may.
-
JDB says:
was at the game today. saw a few things, most notably was that Calvin Pace played hard all game. Glad he got that sack. He deserved it.
Sanchez probably a little gun shy or told to be careful with the ball didn’t throw to an open Cotchery on a crossing route, and an open Edwards in single coverage.
I’m cool with it, good coaching reels in a struggling QB, get back to basics
-
JDB,
Agreed. I’d rather Sanchez exhibit some restraint the throw the ball – for now. It’s when he trys to don too much, we get in trouble.
Jetsrdone,
Personally, I’ll give Gholston one more year. Then, where do I sign?
-
A couple points before bed
1- Sanchez had his first game where he was truly being developed as a rookie QB. Thats how you do it. You give the kid easy reads and short passes, stick with the running game. It sucks that it took Rex putting his boot up Schotty’s butt and week 12, but at least its a start. He is learning that as much ability as he has, it aint college, everyone can play at the NFL level.Even the great ones need the coddling. Peyton wasnt Peyton until the Colts drafted E James. Tom Brady’s defense won him his first Super Bowl. You keep it simple until the game slows down for the kid. Once he gets his feet under him then you start attacking mid range to deep. I just hope the Jets stick to the plan and dont loosen the reigns.
2- I like the mixing of the blitz looks with the standard 4 man pass rush. I think that even in defeat to NE, the Jets putting some pressure on Brady in the second half using the 4 man fronts set a light bulb off. Going foward, it could be the key to getting a more consistent rush
3-Kerry Rhodes had two picks, showed that he has some backbone but he has got alot of work to do in winning back the fan base. I stuck up for this guy and he re payed a lot of fans who did the same by dry humping recievers instead of laying them out. Keep stepping your game up. E Smith is outstanding in playing the run and hits really hard, at least he proved he belongs out there
-
SackDance99 says:
Playoffs? How about beating the Biils and getting our 2nd win against the AFC East? A second loss against the Bills would be awful and it will be a tough game with a newly confident Bills team coming off of a huge win against Miami. Let’s face it, a 9-7 record with a rookie QB and coach paired with the losses of Jenkins and Leon would be a very positive result and something to build on.
BTW, I liked the new offense. Fewer bunched receivers, more safe passes and the ground and pound attack that we all wanted. Sanchez’s INT, however, was too much like many of his others…his pass on an out was to the inside shoulder. If he had placed the ball on Edwards’ outside shoulder, he had a TD. Sanchez can put a long pass down the chimney, he has to practice doing the same with an intermediate pass. Plus, he has a tall WR in Edwards, pass it high, not inside. He has to realize that no NFL QB can whistle a pass in when the DB is playing between the WR and the ball. People will say “well, it was only 1 INT” but it was too much like, at least, a 1/2 dozen others.
A nice win with the D playing very well. By the way, watching Revis is a joy…what a tremendous football player. I can only say: WOW!
-
I don’t care how boring or Paul Hackett looking the O was. Its the best way to get this kid’s feet wet. For the life of me why do WE on this board know that thats the best way to develop a young QB???? Run the ball and short passes. Look at Matt Cassel last yr they were dinking and dunking and throwing screens until about this time of the year when they opened it up. Shotty is a fool he thinks he has Drew Brees if he had started doing it like he did today the kid might be farther along then he is.Mark my words this CLOWN is gone end of season(At least I hope)
-
The CLOWN being Shottenheimer
-
jets69 says:
It was good to see Rhodes man-up after 2 years of lousy play. It seems odd to me that it took a benching to get him to play at the level he played at before he got the contract extension.
Rex needed to start cracking the whip way before now.The Jets should draft Taylor Mays and Damien Williams to get some spark on offense and defense.
-
Bob says:
I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to have a WIN again! In my family, my two grown nephews are life-long Giant fans. I am the only Jet fan. They are constantly on me about “When the last time the Jets won a superbowl? Ha,ha, ha….” I tell them that the past is the past, and they should be more mindful of the NOW. I tried explaining that as I see it, the Giants are on their way down right now, with no real answers, but the Jets are on their way UP! We’ll see who winds up where! J-E-T-S……Jets,Jets,Jets!! Good job guys.
-
James in TN says:
Great game plan Rex, great game plan.
The intensity shown by the D was refreshing.
Sanchez wanting back in the game was great.
Schotty, you are 5 games away from the unemployment line. Glad he worked on getting the plays in sooner to Sanchez, but he still should be gone by seasons end.
Lets beat those Bills!!!!!
-
Just landed and chekced into my hotel and got the score and updates on the phone. I saw zero football since I was in the air for 15 hours…
So basically Revis and Rhodes had 2 picks we played ball control running game and we got a nice win.
Its a great feeling to sit on a plane for that long and not get a Jet loss update on the phone….
-
geoff says:
i cant believe this, we are one game out of a wild card.
-
Brendan says:
Drew, all you need to know is Darelle Revis had more catches than Steve Smith.
-
geoff — two games out — every team ahead of us holds the tiebreaker. Four of Miami, Steelers, Denver, Ravens and Jacksonville have to finish 8-8 if we go 9-7.
-
Glad to see the ground and pound. That’s how you do it. It may not net you early results, but it wears down the defense, eases the passing lanes, and opens it up in the second half. The kid is going to make mistakes, but this approach limits them and puts him in the best position to succeed.
Jets69,
Mays and Williams are both first round picks, and I don’t want to get either one to be honest.
Eddie,
Just so you know, QBs under Cavanagh have had a QB rating over 83 just once, and that was Steve Young in 1996 (who had a 97).
-
Bent says: Cavanaugh as offensive co-ordinator is an interesting idea. He was the Ravens OC when they won the Superbowl (right?) so he would have an idea of how to win when you have a good defense, but sketchy QB play, by being conservative.
Some people were still complaining that yesterday was too conservative though. It’s impossible to make everyone happy unless you have a ton of weapons and become an offensive powerhouse, I guess.
-
Andy says:
Hey all I know is we got the win. We have to do the old cliche. One game at a time. Next game Buffalo. Let’
s take care of business in Toronto. As far as the playoffs are conerned. We are still in the mix. The problem lies is how many teams are only one game out of it. I think the 5th spot will end up going to either San Diego or Denver, and it will be a battle for the 6th. I could be wrong, but the Jets need to put their head down and keep running. Who knows? LET”S GO! -
Brendan,
Yea man I always confuse Cam “Cameron” with Mike “Cavanaugh”.
The numbers dont lie, using my own words I have a hard on for Schotty, much the same way Hank does for every Jet not named Pennington or Mangini. Im working on it but I just cant help myself
-
You can have a totally conservative offense against bad teams and win but, if you expect to win a big game by playing scared football — it ain’t happening.
Some of you are upset, because I criticized Shottenheimer for running the ball at the end of the game. There is nothing wrong with running the ball but, you have to strive to end the game, without giving the ball back to the opposition. We had to punt with 50 seconds left in the game. Carolina tried to block the punt. If they did, it was close enough to the end zone for them to have scored quickly. Then, they are trying an onside kick. If they get that back, they are looking for a field goal to tie the game. Our offense has to run the clock out and not allow them this opportunity. Anybody watching pro football knows that if you give the opposition the opportunity to beat you — they take advantage of it, all the time.
I would like to talk about the play calling on the field goal drive, with about seven minutes left. Shottenheimer called two runs by Thomas Jones, up the middle. It left us with third and two. Then, we had a nice short pass to Woodhead, which gave us a first down. The next series, there were two TJ runs up the middle and a TJ run off right tackle, which left us with fourth and three. Feely, thankfully, kicked a long field goal. My complaint is that, at a time that we needed a score to close out the game, we luckily got the ball close enough to get a Feely TD. Those last seven plays showed no imagination or deception. If we have to give the ball back — Carolina has six minutes, and good field position, to get the winning score. That is why you don’t play scared, conservative football, at that point.
-
Harvlis,
At that point in the game, a FG is as good as TD. It makes it a two score game. You don’t need to push it for a TD because the field goal would have effectively ended the contest. A two-score lead with 3:30 or so to play, is a position I will always take. Passing in that situation would have been foolish because we were in Feely’s range. I would rather grind out 4 minutes of game clock and take the 3 points than push it in that scenario. In case you forget, the Jets were dominating the Panther’s offense, and with the Panthers in an obvious passing situation, it’s much easier to defend.
I dislike almost everything Schotty has been doing this year, but this drive I was happy to play conservative.
-
conservative is what we have to be with Sanchez at QB until he catches up to the spees of the game then we can open it up and that might not be til year 3
-
I agree with Harvlis 90% of the time, but not on this one. “Go for the win on the road, the tie at home.” It’s an oldie, but a goodie. With the lead and at home, the Jets’ best ally was a running clock. Get the Panthers to use up their timeouts and either kick an FG (for a 2 score lead) or make them try to drive the length of the field and score a 2 point conversion against a defense that was working all day.
A mistake by Sanchez resulting in a turnover or even an incomplete pass (thereby stopping the clock) would not be the prudent way to go. I had no problems with the Jets’ offense…but for Greene’s and Keller’s fumbles, the game would’ve been a blowout. It wasn’t close because of the game plan.
-
Brendan, There is no problem with a FG. I never said that we had to go for a TD. My problem is that we made Feely kick a long field goal. Our play calling caused our drive to bog down and Feely had to kick one from a distance that he had already missed one from. I never said that we had to pass the ball, either. My complaint is that our plays lack imagination and deception. If he missed that field goal, they get the ball back in good field position, with time on the clock. Better play calling would have got us closer to the end zone, run out more clock, and made it easier for Feely. No passing necessary and no TD required. Just better play calling.
Sack, if the Jets had extended their FG drive, rather than kicking a long FG and giving the ball back to Carolina, it would have run down more of the clock, possibly forced Carolina into calling some of those timeouts, and made it easier for Feely to kick the FG. No need to have Sanchez throw the ball down field. The only thing I want is better play calling. A straight run up the middle, two times in a row, followed by a run towards right tackle, without any deception or mis-direction, gets me sick to my stomach. Then, we get the ball back with a minute and a half — three runs up the middle later — we are giving the ball back to them with fifty seconds. Sorry, I can’t go along with that. We need better play calling.
-
ONLY 17 PASS ATTEMPTS BY SANCHEZ. NOW WE ARE TALKING!!! 39 CARRIES. AND WE ONLY AVERAGED 3 YRDS PER CARRY. TAHTS HOW WE SHOULDVE BEEN WINNING AND THATS THE WAY WE ARE GOING TO WIN. WE ARE NOT GOING TGO WIN BY GETTING CREATIVE. OUT QB IS NOT ALL THAT READY!!!! BUT HE WILL!!
GOOD WIN!!!