A Quick Recap of a D-ominating Day
Posted on December 14th, 2009 by Bassett
Thought that was an impressive showing by the Jets? Here’s some of the highlights from the Jets defense in that game.
- In the first half, the Jets held the Bucs to five rushing yards and ten yards of passing.
- For the game, the Bucs had just 126 yards of total offense, averaging 2.3 yards per offensive snap.
- From the start of the game, the Jets defense went on a streak of nine series without allowing the Bucs to a first down conversion that lasted into the third quarter.
- Darrelle Revis had one interception and four passes defensed. As I wrote yesterday Revis should be charged for molestation because his hands were on Freeman’s balls ALL DAY.
- The Jets are showing why it’s not all about tackle totals. While David Harris has impressed us in past seasons with his high tackle totals, the Jets players highest tackle (combined) total for the game yesterday was seven (Pace, Scott). When you see those sorts of numbers, that lets you know that the team is an elite defense. They’re not on the field enough to rack up tackles.
- In addition to the his sack, Calvin Pace had an impressive three tackles for loss, and the team had seven, meaning that they dominated the line of scrimmage on defense.
But, God, Clemens stinks!! If Sanchez has to sit in any of the three remaining real games, I would pray they’d go with Ainge. Clemens just sucks the offensive life out of this team.
Pace, Pouha, Scott and revis had top notch games yesterday. the whole defense plays lights out but those 4 were special….especially Pace. He was unblockable
Again we were playing the Bucs but they did put up 500 yards of offense last week. We made them look pathetic and it was almost humilatiing watching them with the ball.
Did someone say streaking??
The Bucs are bad but the Jets D came out and played a helluva football game. Gang green was in full effect. I think the Kerry Rhoades drama can be put to bed too.
Interesting way the season has gone so far:
WWW
LLL
W
LLL
WWW
Wow, didn’t realize how well they played offensively vs Panthers, the five picks made the score lower… and let’s not forget how they almost beat the Dolphins a week after beating the Packers, just a few weeks back…
Greg, loved your palindrome earlier, scary though isn’t it since you know what belongs next on that list.
Thoughts on the Freeman vs Clemens ineptitude contest:
Back in preseason they were some of us who, while we were in no way convinced that Clemens was THE GUY or that he was even good, felt that he had never gotten a fair chance to show if he could play with a good cast around him. They were others (and one very articulate poster in particular) who were utterly convinced that Clemens sucks and would never amount to anything in this league.
Well, yesterday KC had his chance. I am now firmly in the ‘Clemens should be cut ASAP’ once the season ends camp, and very much hope to never see him play another down for the Jets. That being said, he is our backup QB this season and I think putting in Ainge or O’Connell would be a huge mistake as they don’t know the system the way KC does (not that it seemed to help him much yesterday). So we have to live with this loser for the rest of this football year. Sucks that we wasted a 2nd round pick on him (at least he’s not a kicker), but you win some and lose some and overall I’m very happy with Tanny’s draft record, though I’d like to see more draft picks this offseason.
This season was frustrating for Jet fans in that we were a good qb away from making a super bowl run. It is what it is and I’m glad that we have found our “Parcells” for the next few seasons. I’m pretty much in man-love for the Jets defense since Rex joined the Jets. Revis is young and our LB crew will be there for a while. If the Jets do in fact miss the playoffs this season then Mark Sanchez better get his game up for year 2.
i was firmly in the “KC never got a fair shot, so i cant throw him under the bus” camp but i agree with most of the posts above. the guy just doesnt have what it takes to be an NFL QB. he has been in the system 4 years and had 9 days to prepare for a game agaist what may be the worst team in the league. the offense should have put up 40 points.
i will give him credit for not turning the ball over and that is about it. coutness times he missed wide open receivers and looked like a rookie in the pocket. he took some terrible sacks.
its too bad because i was rooting for him. he is a good guy and i wanted him to find his way on another roster. or maybe he plays really well and we can sign and trade him. too bad it didnt work out
Couldn’t agree more with those Clemens critics out there.
I remember watching the Kansas City game last game 2 years ago and recall
how painful it was with Clemens under center. Missing guys all over the
place, passes getting batted down, not be able to complete a fade or touch
pass, and his overall presence in the pocket demonstrates a ton of anxiety.
With a better offensive line and weapons, I didn’t see any improvement.
Hearing the comments from Rex saying that he liked the way Clemens
managed the game, I PRAY, was to light a fire under Sanchez. Atlanta is going to be much more formidable, whomever is qb and rb.
I never look ahead, but I also like the JETS chances against the Colts. They can stop the run and have a ton of CB’s to counter against those receivers. If the Jets could just run the ball and control the clock.
Can’t wait till Sunday!!!
We may need a VM from Rex to get the fans crazy this Sunday.
Yeah, it looks like Clemens can’t complete a screen pass, but as I thought about the game I decided a lot of his mistakes (overthrows, sacks) were red cards from the coaches. And actually, I now think he followed orders more than we realized while watching the game. He didn’t throw Sanchez silly picks, and he he didn’t fumble snaps or handoffs or give up a pick six. Plus he got better in the second half, when maybe the red lights became yellow. Plus he didn’t have a lot penalties and ran the formations well. Okay, not worth $63 mill over six years, but I’d rather have a W than Eli’s dumb 391 yards and a loss.
matthewn, I don’t think you can play that way and win in this league.
In games, where you completely overmatch the opponent on one side of the
ball, yes this formula works.
KC just can’t play the QB position at the NFL level. Everyone is focusing on the fact that KC didn’t turn it over and, like I said in an earlier post, Sanchez should learn that even an incompetent and pathetic QB performance can get saved by the Jets’ defense and running game against a terrible team, which was a lesson learned by Sanchez against Buffalo in Toronto, by the way.
KC has foundational problems. First, his footwork is terrible. When he missed a wide open Jericho for a TD, he didn’t set his feet and throw a simple pass. Instead, he threw on the move and off of his back foot and the pass sailed. Now, the reason I think he did that, is his second problem: pocket awareness. KC had more time than he thought on that play. However, the best example of this was when he took a sack by rolling out to his left, while his pocket was secure on his right. If I were Mangold, I would’ve chewed him out. Third, his defensive recognition skills are poor, so he holds on to the ball too long. Gannon must’ve said a dozen times that KC was late in his passes. And, all of these issues exacerbate his worst problem: happy feet. He just cannot stay in the pocket and when he moves, it’s not because he’s going to set himself to pass (McNabb gave a clinic on moving effectively in the pocket last night). He’s moving out of what appears to be panic.
Now, the regulars know that I’ve been a consistent critic of KC’s since the 2007 game against Cleveland when I became convinced that he doesn’t have it. Yesterday’s game by a 4-year veteran was shockingly incompetent. Bottom line is that the Jets won, but all you can say good about KC’s performance is that at least he didn’t turn the ball over.
Sack,
I’m just curious; i’ve been listening to you for a while now voicing your opinion on Clemens and mainly focusing on his height, and I agree with you on Clemens, he’s awful, but then how do you feel about Sanchez who is the same height as Clemens?
JR,
I don’t think that accurately sums up my criticism which has always focused on the fact that he can’t read defenses, he’s skittish in the pocket and he looks to rabbit too much. For example:
SackDance99, on February 12th, 2009 at 11:24 am Said:
An under 6-4 QB can succeed in the NFL (although all the SB winning QBs this decade have been, at least, 6-4), but not one who lacks accuracy, pocket poise and defensive recognition skills. IMO, Clemens’ lack of size just exacerbates his tendency to be skittish in the pocket.
I’ve said that his height could be a contributing factor, but I’ve never said that it was THE factor. Plus, my height argument is really more for drafting QBs. It’s pretty obvious that shorter QBs can succeed in the NFL, I’m just not sure that I’d invest a 1st round pick on a guy under 6-4 (or, at least, 6-3). But, as I will get to, I liked the Sanchez pick, despite his lack of ideal height.
If we want to talk about height, again, here it goes. First, Sanchez is a1/2 inch taller. I know what they’re listed at, but Sanchez is 6-2 1/8 and KC is 6-1 5/8 per the official Combine measurements. I like QBs to be 6-4 or taller, but 6-2 is the bottom of acceptable QB height, unless your name is Drew Brees. KC is under 6-2 and is not Drew Brees. Second, Sanchez has better footwork and a quicker release. Both of these skills compensate for his lack of ideal height. Lots of time you see Sanchez run to a spot that is clear, set and throw…something that I’ve never seen KC do. Third, Sanchez has better arm strength, throws a better ball (tighter spiral) and throws better on the run (he’s in the Romo or Cutler league, which begs the question of why Sanchez doesn’t roll out more).
So, as this question was asked after the Jets drafted Sanchez, which I was for after the rumors started, I watched Sanchez’s USC tape and became convinced that he has the mobility, footwork and quick release to overcome lack of ideal height (like McNabb and Brees). Look at the shorter QBs and often times they’re much better out of the pocket (Tony Romo is a great example). That’s okay, but to succeed in the NFL, a QB needs to be comfortable in the pocket. Brees and McNabb are, guys like Garrard, Romo and KC aren’t and, ultimately, that could be their undoing. Also, because mobility is important for the West Coast offense, guys like McNabb or Garcia are the prototypes. I keep wondering how Sanchez would be in the West Coast, especially the modified version run by Philly with all of those deep downfield passes. Be that as it may, I wish Sanchez were an inch taller, but he has all of the skills necessary to succeed in the NFL, both physical and mental. IMO, KC doesn’t and his short stature certainly doesn’t help.
Sack,
Thanks for the detailed response. I didnt mean to say that your focus was on Clemens height, I just wanted to point out that you have mentioned it several times and I wanted to see how you felt about Sanchez’s height.
I agree with you, I think Sanchez makes up for his lack of height with his athleticism, mainly his feet and his quick release.
The Jets need to start implementing more roll outs for him and if I were Brian Schottenheimer, I would have Sanchez watching film of Drew Brees, Jeff Garcia and Tony Romo during his off time.
3 of the league’s 5 best passers, and 6 out of the top 10, are 6-2 and under. that is not why KC is a poor QB. KC could be 6-6 and he would still suck
it all comes down to mechanics, pocket awareness, and arm strength. KC simply does not have NFL-caliber skills in these areas. even one of KCs strengths (mobility) hurts him because he looks to leave the pocket when it is unnecessary. as others have mentioned he is late getting the ball out. if he had a quicker release and more pace on his balls he could compensate for this. unfortunately, KC just does not have it.
i would prefer the team to move on from KC as soon as possible.
Assuming (in fact, praying) that Clemens is gone after the season, I wonder what we do about QB – I’m not liking Ainge or O’Connell as the #2, at least not unless they prove it in training camp. I hope they sign a good vet as insurance for Sanchez and/or at least to compete in preseason.
brian,
what QB’s are you talking about?
i’d like to sign a vet (pennington, if he would agree to come back) and get rid of either ainge or o-connell. hopefully they both play well in the preseason and a team would want to trade for either player
with sanchez being 23, i dont see why we are keeping 4 QBs on the roster.
brees, favre, rodgers, romo, warner, mcnabb are all 6-2 or under and are in the top 10 in passer rating to date
The Jets should have signed Jeff Garcia last offseason
Brian,
Gotcha
WOJF —FYI, there is no “next” in a palindrome
The palindrome of Bolton is Notlob (any python fans out there?), and I think Garcia would’ve made a lot of sense, too, if he was willing to sit.
Brian, your stat is a little misleading, since every one of the QB’s you mentioned is listed at exactly 6′2″ except for Brees. So, you could also flip that stat on its head and say the following:
There are 17 starting QB’s who have a QB rating over 85, and 16 of them are 6′2″ or taller.
Now, I’m not saying that height is the most important predictor of how a QB is going to do, but it’s a fact that there’s only one QB who succeeds in today’s NFL while being shorter than 6′2″.
What did you guys think of Danny Woodhead. He might be better then everybody thought.
Woodhead stinks. The Jets miss Leon Washington big time, since he is their best 3rd down receiver. Clearly the Jets are trying to fit Woodhead into that role but he just doesnt have the skills to succeed.
P4P – I got the height info from ESPN, which is most likely rounded to the nearest inch. KC is 6-1 5/8. I would bet that one of those QBs I listed (besides Brees) is technically under 6-2
woodhead isnt leon, but who is? darren sproles is probabaly the only comparable player to leon across the entire league.
before bashing woodhead i would question if is shcotty getting the most out of him, and is he being used properly.
he has only touched the ball 13 times so im not sure the body of work is sufficent to have an opinion. however he has shown good hands out of the backfield and i do not remember him dropping a ball. he had 1st down catches in the carolina and TB games, thats what you’d like out of a 3rd down back
im not saying he will set the word on fire, but he has 13 touches and averages 7.7 yards per touch. that aint bad at all
Brian,
I like his attitude and work ethic, i just dont think he’s capable of breaking tackles or making plays. The Jets miss Leon big time.
By the way, what happened to all of the people who were asking for the Jets to trade Thomas Jones all season? Anyone care to come forward?
Yeah, JR, saying he stinks was a bit harsh. His role has been increasing consistently for a reason and the Jets have been winning. He’ll never be Leon but it’s unrealistic to expect that.
JR – those people have gone on military silence. what can you say except the guy just continues to perform at a high level? did you see the move he put on the safety during his 30 yard TD yesterday – pretty impressive for an old workhorse RB to juke then outrun a DB to the endzone
i’ve been saying it for a while (partly because TJ is one of my favorite players) the guy is simply under appreciated. he is reliable. he doesnt fumble. he is a consummate professional and by all accounts, a great lockerroom guy and teammate. i guarantee that if shonn greene goes on to have a long and successful career, a big part of the credit will go to TJ showing greene how to be an nfl back
brian311,
I agree with you. Woodhead has done a good job so far and, if he was used properly, could be a nice weapon for us. Last season, Leon Washington was not used properly, as Schottenheimer let him run the ball three times per game.
Another problem with Schottenheimer is his choosing Clemens to be our number two QB. What was this based on — being here four years. Clemens did nothing in practice or pre-season yet, he remained the number two. Clemens gets into the Buffalo game, and gets to start the Tampa game, and he looks like he hasn’t taken a snap or thrown a pass in four years. Don’t give me this, “well he didn’t turn it over”. That is bulldink — he missed his receivers by five yards. I guarantee either of our other back-up QB’s would have looked better and gotten better results. Schottenheimer has to know this. It is part of his job, to make sure that our back-up QB’s are ready to step in. Clemens was not ready to step in.
Woodhead, when given space and a one on one matchup can be a dangerous player. But that is his game. He goes down very, very easily. I forget who it was, but a defensive lineman yesterday just simply grabbed him by the jersey and a split second later Woodhead was already on the ground. He’s a good player, and if he adds some weight he could be a good slot receiver for us.
As for Jones, one thing that I think got overlooked last year was a change he made to his in-season workout program. Before last season, he used to tune down his workouts big time by the midway point of the season. Last year, he decided to continue to work out according to his regular program for the entire season. He said that in the second half, when he’s usually feeling worn down and tired, he felt as good as he did in Week 1. I have to imagine he is doing the same thing this year, and that could also be a big part of him continuing to perform. The guy knows his body is his livelihood and he takes care of it accordingly.
Harvlis,
Seeing how it is his job, and his options were Clemens, or a guy who has never taken a snap earlier than the 3rd quarter of a preseason game (Ainge) or a guy who has thrown 6 passes in blowouts.
Is it really that nuts for him to start the NFL tested player in a must-win game? You’re going to fault him for starting Clemens over two guys who have about as much experience starting in the NFL as we do?
I was about to say more or less the same thing. Clemens is probably a better option than Ainge or O’Connell, so if anyone’s at fault it would be the GM. I know a lot of people think that Ainge or O’Connell must be better than Clemens but I don’t think there’s anything either has done to prove that. If this was the case, then they’d probably have moved ahead of him on the depth chart and the fact they haven’t would suggest that Clemens is probably a better option that either (at this stage of their careers).
brendan – i agree on your woodhead point and know exactly the play you are talking about when a DL basically sneezed on him and he went down.
my angle is – is running woodhead between the tackles in a game with our backup QB facing 8-9 man fronts a smart play call? sure it is fair to criticize woodhead for going down easily, but did schotty put him in a position to use his skills to get the most out of the play? how about a sweep, counter or misdirection, or a draw instead of running up the middle with a 190 pound RB?
also woodhead was a key component on a few of the brad smith wildcat runs. those dont show up in the box score but were key plays
Brian,
I agree, TJ is probably the most underated player in the NFL.
Bent,
When I say Woodhead stinks, I dont mean for it to be taken literally. Anybody who is on an NFL roster is a phenomenal football player and that goes without saying. I still believe that Woodhead is incapable of being an effective 3rd down runningback, he is too limited.
brian311,
I like Ainge and O’connell. O’conell was one of my late round draft steels. Why dump either of them. They will both have 2 yrs in.
We’ll see. He’s already done more than many people said he would and (as I’ll keep saying) if Darren Sproles can play in the NFL, there’s no reason Danny Woodhead can’t. He might be a victim of a numbers game with the Jets next year, but I doubt he’ll be totally out of the league.
Bent,
In all fairness, just because he has made a couple of receptions (I think he has 4-5), doesnt mean he has proven much. He may be similar in size to Sproles, but Sproles is a much better athlete, is faster, and played at a big time school (Kansas State). Woodhead is a true underdog story, but I cant imagine him having any impact on the Jets after this season.
No, he’s not proven anything, but he’s still gone from practice squad, to active roster, to getting regular reps. Good for him.
By the way, have your compared their combine numbers? Woodhead is a way better athlete and much bigger. Forty time alone is 4.33 for Woodhead and 4.47 for Sproles.
do you guys see the team carrying 4 QBs on the roster next year? i think that makes about as much sense as the 2 kickers on the 2008 roster
carry 3 QBs and that would open up a roster spot
Bent,
Combine numbers can only mean so much. Vernon Gholston’s combine numbers blow LeMarr Woodley’s away, but Woodley is 100 times better than Gholston. Ive seen enough of Sproles and Woodhead to know that Sproles is the better athlete, and the fact that he started at Kansas State as opposed to Woodhead playing at a Division 2 school is enough proof. Sproles can break tackles which Woodhead cant. Sproles also looks faster on the football field, regardless of 40 times. Sproles was a dominant High School basketball player, was Woodhead?
Woodhead was going to go to Nebraska, but it fell thru so he ended up going to a division 2 school. Callahan regretted that decision when Woodhead set an all-time ncaa record.
I have never said combine numbers mean he’s a better player, but Woodhead had a 4.33 forty, 38 inch vertical and 10′ 2″ broad jump. Those nunbers put him in the top percentile. He is an incredible athlete.
Sproles (4.47 / 33 / 8′ 9″) is not as good of an athlete. He isn’t as fast or as explosive and happens to be an inch and a half shorter and around 20 pounds lighter. That’s what the numbers tell us and it really isn’t close. Sproles is the better RB, of course, but you can’t write Danny off as not being as athletic because (unless his knee injury set him back), it simply isn’t true.
Yes, Woodhead was a dominant basketball player in HS, averaging 26 ppg, and being named Athlete of the Year in Nebraska. That average lead the state in the biggest schools, including Lincoln and Omaha. That says quite a lot, even being just Nebraska.
Numbers can only mean so much. If Woodhead were a better athlete than Sproles, then I would assume you’d be expecting Woodhead to become a big impact player? I’m not a huge Darren Sproles fan, but he can be a game breaker and he has proven a lot in this league, so Woodhead has a lot of catching up to do before we can start mentioning him with Darren Sproles. Sproles can break tackles and make people miss better than Woodhead, maybe that doesnt show up in a combine sheet, but it’s definitely because of athleticism. Woodhead gets hit and drops to the ground immediately. The numbers can favor Woodhead, but until he shows me something, I have no reason to believe hes a better athlete than Sproles.
If Woodhead proves me wrong and becomes a Sproles type player for the Jets, then I will eat my words happily.
No, I’m not saying he’ll be as good as Sproles, just trying to outline the fact that it’s really not that absurd to suggest he could play at this level be that the buzz around his potential isn’t just people getting swept up in a cinderella story.
In his first full season, Sproles was just a returner and accounted for just 60 yards on 11 touches offensively. People were saying he’d never amount to much back then too, but he developed and got an increased role. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that DW could do the same, especially since he’s bigger and faster. Of course there’s more to being a RB…balance, agility, dexterity, strength, vision, heart, technique etc and Sproles is good at these things, but maybe Danny has or could learn these attributes too.
For now, it’s just good to see him improving, developing and contributing.
Brendan,
They started Sanchez over Clemens. So much for experience. There are plenty of QB’s that have experience who stink. They should know that Clemens is one of them. What did Clemens show in pre-season (his fourth) — nothing. Judgement of ability is important. At this point, they have to know what their back-up QB’s can do.
This is Ainge’s second year on the team. Schottenheimer should know what he can do, by this time. Ainge should know the offense, inside and out, at this point. Is there any reason why a back-up QB shouldn’t be ready to go, after two years in the system. In addition, they should already know what O’Connell has to offer. What scares me is that, they don’t know the ability of their back-ups and their back-ups are obviously not prepared.
That is why, when Sanchez was putting up his five INT’s, I said that they should have sat him and given the back-ups some experience. When Sanchez was in panic mode, it could have only helped him to take a breather and grab a clip-board. It also could have given the back-ups (Clemens, Ainge or O’Connell) the opportunity to play against top flight talent in regular season action. This way, Shotzy and Rex would have known what they have, when Sanchez went down.