BGA: Chiefs at Jets
This analysis is based on watching and re-watching TV footage. As such, it is not always possible to accurately determine everything that was going on. However, every effort has been made to ensure that the information below is as complete and correct as possible.
Coming up after the jump, an analysis of yesterday’s win over the Chiefs, including a look into what impact Jim Leonhard’s injury could have on the Jets’ playoff chances, an appreciation of the unsung heroes on the special teams coverage units and insight into how the Jets fooled everybody by having a gameplan that relied heavily on Vladimir Ducasse of all people. Remember, if you want me to look into anything in particular or go into more detail, leave a comment and I’ll include it in BGA Extra, which will follow in a few days.
For me, this game was practically over before it began. Technical issues meant that my friends and I weren’t able to get coverage of the game, necessitating a cross-town trip from yours truly to fetch another laptop to try and get the game. By the time I returned, the Jets already led 7-0 and – with the Chiefs only having averaged seven points over their previous five games, there was a good chance that was going to be unassailable, as long as the Jets didn’t do anything stupid.
They remained conservative, instead feasting on errors by the Chiefs, to extend the lead in the second quarter, until they had built a 28-3 lead that even the most pessimistic Jets fan would have felt pretty secure with. The second half was a mere formality, with the Jets ultimately winning 37-10.
The Chiefs are struggling, but the Jets took care of business and neutralized those things that they do well, en route to an easy win. That’s what Jets fans have been hoping for, so it should serve as an ideal preparation for the last three games, all of which promise to be tough, yet winnable.
While some aspects of the team seem to be gelling and perhaps peaking at just the right time, there are still some areas that give cause for concern, so let’s look in depth at all of them.
Quarterback
The two main areas I identified in the offseason where Mark Sanchez needed to improve most were in the red zone and his accuracy on short passes. All season long, he’s done dramatically better in both areas and yesterday was perhaps the best evidence yet that his hard work in these areas is paying off.
In terms of the red zone, the Jets were already number one in the NFL entering this week’s game and will have stretched their lead on the rest of the league by going five for five yesterday. It was interesting to hear the announcers remark who Sanchez gives much of the credit for the red zone success to. If you missed it, have a guess. (Answer at the end of this section).
In terms of short passes, the Jets had terrific success just dumping the ball off to their backs (108 yards on five completions). So much so, in fact, that they never really needed to throw the ball downfield to advance the ball.
The Jets did make a concerted effort to take a few deep shots this week, without successfully completing one. They picked up a pass interference call on one throw down the seam to Dustin Keller and Santonio Holmes wanted a call on what seemed to be a well-thrown ball down the sideline. However, with Sanchez delivering the ball on time to his receivers underneath, in space and with accuracy so they could get upfield impetus, they managed to dink and dunk their way to a productive first half.
Sanchez was actually 0 for 4 in the second half, although two of those were dropped and he did have about five more throws that resulted in first downs via penalty.
It’s very difficult to assess Sanchez’s performance accurately because, while he didn’t make any obvious mistakes, most of his pass completions were pretty simple. However, he does deserve credit for consistently taking what the defense gave him and getting the ball to guys in space who were then able to make things happen.
I’d also give Sanchez credit for his two well-executed touchdown runs. Sanchez has a real nose for the endzone. As someone who grew up watching Ken O’Brien (who had ZERO rushing touchdowns in 129 games as a Jet), that’s refreshing to see.
Mark Brunell came in for mop-up duty and completed the same number of passes in the second half as Sanchez did. In fact, he handed the ball off every time.
Oh, and who does Mark Sanchez credit much of the Jets’ red zone success to? QB coach Matt Cavanaugh. That surprised me.
Offensive Line
For the third straight week, the offensive line performed tremendously, creating space for the running game and doing a solid job of protecting Mark Sanchez. It had to be a good sign when they ran the “Blast” play on the first snap of the game and Matt Slauson’s pulling block was perfectly in synch with John Conner’s straight ahead pop in the hole. One broken tackle later and Shonn Greene was out to the second level…and not for the last time.
Perhaps even better was some of the blocking on screen passes. Nick Mangold got out in front of Shonn Greene on the long play that set up the second touchdown, finding a guy in space at about the ten yard line and driving him back into the endzone. Mangold also blocked his man to the ground to enable LaDainian Tomlinson to break out to the second level on another screen pass – Tomlinson did the rest, going in for a 19 yard touchdown.
The Jets did give up three sacks. One came as the Chiefs sent two guys off the left side and Tomlinson blocked one, but the other was left unblocked. That’s presumably on Sanchez. Justin Houston beat Wayne Hunter on the inside, but I think that was a communication breakdown, because Hunter took a wide step to the outside as soon as the ball was snapped, as if he was expecting inside help from Brandon Moore, who actually pulled left and helped Dustin Keller, who was about to be beaten on the blindside. The last sack came on a meaningless fourth and four play late in the game and saw Tamba Hali beat D’Brickashaw Ferguson with an outside speed rush. I’d agree with those that said they probably shouldn’t have been passing the ball in that situation anyway.
Overall, there were these three sacks and not a great deal of other pressure on Sanchez, with the success of the screen pass no doubt helping to slow down the rush. However, the linemen still deserve credit because they are looking more and more comfortable individually and as a unit when called upon to pass protect for any length of time – and Hali and Houston are no slouches. It was good to see some nastiness from Brandon Moore in pass protection as he came over to double team Armon Gordon and just shoved him to the floor.
In terms of the running game, the interior line were dominant, whereas the tackles made a few too many mistakes, especially Wayne Hunter, whose pass protection has been encouraging over the past few games, but his run blocking hasn’t been as good. He was responsible for a couple of plays that were stuffed, although many of these were after the game was already in the bag.
What I haven’t mentioned yet is the role played by the much-maligned Vladimir Ducasse. Ducasse played 24 snaps, which is 32% of the time, both season highs. This is about the point at which the Jets increased Rob Turner’s workload last year, using him as an extra tight end in the jumbo package. The Jets did the same thing here with Ducasse, who had most of his snaps as the inside of two tight ends on the edge of the line. However, he did have five snaps on the edge of the line as the only tight end, or as a tackle in an unbalanced line set.
With Ducasse in the game, the Jets had plenty of success and he was basically error-free, other than being called for a holding penalty which looked debateable at best. While he doesn’t always manage to sustain his blocks, he did have some success moving guys off their spot and didn’t allow anyone to beat him badly. I know Ducasse is in his second year, but based on this game, he is further along than Slauson (who started in HIS second year) was as a rookie.
Caleb Schlauderaff got into the action for three unremarkable, but mistake free, garbage time snaps.
Running Backs
Greene’s run on the first play from scrimmage set the tone nicely and he did a good job of grinding out yardage, even later on in the game when the defense was anticipating a run. Although he’s played well in three of the last four games, he hadn’t broken a single tackle, so it was good to see him break two on the first play. His 187 all-purpose yards was easily a career high, as were his 58 receiving yards. He also had the longest pass reception of his career. This is definitely a guy who seems to be peaking at the right time.
The one criticism I would have is that he lost the ball on consecutive plays in the second quarter. However, he was correctly ruled as down by contact on the first one and had broken the plane on the second one, as he ran over a defensive back on his way into the endzone, so it’s not really fair to say he didn’t protect the ball.
Greene had a fourth catch negated by a penalty and would have had a huge gain on the play where he was held by Tyson Jackson, giving rise to a first down as well as a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a teary-eyed Todd Haley. For Haley, I can see why he might have felt that a few decisions went against him, although these were more borderline than actually seeming to be incorrect. However, I can’t see how he picked that moment to complain, because that was the most blatant penalty of the day – so much so that I even noticed it in real time – and actually, it was probably a smart play by Jackson. For Greene, he’s come a long way since not catching a single pass until the playoffs in his rookie year.
The other two backs – Tomlinson and Bilal Powell – couldn’t get anything going on the ground, as they each averaged less than two yards per carry. In fact, Tomlinson was cut down for a loss four times and probably couldn’t have done anything about any of them. With the line blocking so well for Greene, it was obvious how frustrated Tomlinson was when he slammed the ball into the ground after being stuffed just a split second after receiving a handoff.
However, Tomlinson had two huge plays in the passing game – catching a 31-yarder as he was wide open on what I’d like to call a “skinny wheel” route and then taking a screen pass to the endzone for his first ever touchdown at the Jumbo Slinky.
Powell still hasn’t shown any spark, which is a shame, because it would have been a good time for him to make his fresh legs count. Once McKnight returns, Powell will probably be inactive for the rest of the year, unless the Jets fall out of contention.
Finally, John Conner had some punishing blocks, as usual. He wasn’t perfect, but continues to have a positive impact overall.
Receivers
With the short passing game working so well, there’s not much to say about the receivers today. Plaxico Burress did not catch a pass and Santonio Holmes had just 12 yards on two catches. Dustin Keller fared slightly better, with a team-high four catches (all, obviously, in the first half). They did combine to create some first downs via penalty though – and all three got involved with downfield blocking, even Holmes who currently ranks dead last in the NFL for receivers’ blocking on PFF.
Although they didn’t need to pass the ball in the second half – and Holmes did contribute a key first down and one of the touchdowns – it’s still a little concerning about the lack of production. They did try to get everyone involved in the second half, knowing that this is something they will have to do in next week’s game, but it didn’t work out. I’d imagine that will be a focus of this week’s practices.
The backup receivers made an impact, with Jeremy Kerley picking up a couple of short gains and making some nice punt returns after Leonhard’s injury, although he allowed Brandon Carr to strip the ball away from him for an incompletion on a ball he should have held. Patrick Turner had an important third down catch on the opening drive, but was just in for nine plays, most of which were in garbage time. Josh Baker was in for six plays, making a nice 17 yard grab, the longest of his career.
Matthew Mulligan had a big role this week and was only in for one less snap than Keller (47). He whiffed badly on one block, but was otherwise an important factor in the running game. I noticed that the Jets shared the load between him and Keller this week in terms of who stayed in to pass block, so they are perhaps trying to focus on what he does well.
Defensive Line
I seem to say it every week, but Sione Pouha continues to perform superbly, constantly shedding blocks (including double teams) to blow up plays and rarely ever getting moved off his spot. Pouha actually sat out most of the second half, showing up late to register a safety on yet another play blown up in the backfield on his only snap in the last 24 minutes. He’s not just blowing up runs though. Not only did he have a sack, but on another play he got a terrific surge on a bull rush to drive his man back into the quarterback and on another, he dropped into coverage, saw Dwayne Bowe running a shallow crossing route and shoved him completely off course. That’s Kris Jenkins type stuff right there, people.
With Mike DeVito out and Pouha resting for much of the second half, we got an extended look at Marcus Dixon, Muhammed Wilkerson and Ropati Pitoitua. Dixon seems to be the one who is benefiting most from DeVito’s absence and really seems to have upped his game over the past few weeks. Here he picked up half a sack and did a good job of penetrating and getting in on tackles. Pitoitua hasn’t been as productive as he was earlier in the season before he hurt his knee, but is completely reliable whenever called upon and did stuff a couple of runs. Wilkerson, as you’d expect, has his ups and downs, but is usually good for one spectacularly blown up play per game and on Sunday he got some good pressure on Tyler Palko, forcing him to throw it away.
With Kenrick Ellis inactive, Martin Tevaseu wasn’t used, although he did play the last three snaps.
Linebackers
While the Chiefs offense really didn’t pose much of a threat all day, the linebackers still put the work in. It was business as usual for Calvin Pace, David Harris and Bart Scott. Pace did a good job of maintaining contain all day and came off the edge to blow up a couple of runs in the backfield. He was also credited with half a sack. Harris had a sack, blew up one run in the backfield and led the Jets in tackles. Scott had a sack, blew up one run and attacked the line more than in some recent games. He was actually in for 33 of the first 39 snaps this week, so a much bigger part of the game plan. The Jets often left base personnel in on passing downs for a change this week.
While Pace, Scott and Harris combined for 2.5 sacks, two Jets that have been piling up the sacks recently were unable to get on the board. However, the Chiefs linemen had their hands full with Aaron Maybin all day, as he rushed the passer on 20 of his 27 snaps. Jamaal Westerman, on the other hand, only rushed the passer seven times in 29 snaps, as he was called upon to play a more disciplined role.
With Westerman taking his spot, Garrett McIntyre didn’t play on defense until the last series, with Nick Bellore joining him for the last three plays. Josh Mauga saw action on six snaps.
Defensive Backs
While the game was still competitive, the defensive secondary was as impenetrable as ever. In fact, the Chiefs only had four total yards in the first half. In the second, they did have some successes against the Jets’ defensive backs, who were tending to play passive and giving the receivers a cushion.
Darrelle Revis had a shut-out going until Dwayne Bowe made a first down catch on him early in the third quarter, getting away with the most blatant push-off you’re ever likely to see. After that, Revis did give up a handful of catches, but none for any significant yardage. He also made one great play in run support and one spectacular pass breakup.
Antonio Cromartie didn’t give up a catch for most of the game, until Jonathan Baldwin made a spectacular, leaping grab.
The likes of Kyle Wilson and Donald Strickland, while obviously playing most of the time in the slot, also had a lot of snaps where they were basically lined up as an in-the-box safety, but their assignment was to pick up a receiver that had lined up in the backfield in a two back set. Marquice Cole saw 14 snaps, mostly as an in-the-box third safety.
After going into the lead, the Jets were mostly in a soft zone, so it’s difficult to apportion too much blame for any of the yardage that was surrendered in the second half. The Chiefs did pick up 26 on a screen pass, which any one of a number of players could have prevented from being such a long gain, and did score a touchdown, although on that play, there were four defensive players in the area and they may even have got into each other’s way. The biggest coverage breakdown was on Dwayne Bowe’s late 4th quarter dropped pass in the endzone. Darrelle Revis was covering Bowe, but passed him off to someone behind him. This would either have been Kyle Wilson, who was in the slot, but reacted to the inside as his man ran a skinny post, or Eric Smith, who was closer to the middle of the field. It’s not really possible to say who was at fault there, but this is the sort of breakdown they must avoid over the next few weeks.
Unfortunately, Jim Leonhard’s knee injury – incurred while making an important interception with the score still 7-3 – means he is out for the season and again the Jets will have to make do without him. As I wrote last year, Leonhard isn’t such a great player that they lose out significantly when he isn’t there, but the fact he calls the coverages means the Jets have to do a lot of work to get on the same page by next week.
Last year, I boldly predicted that they would cope okay without him, but acknowledged that I was wary about them only having two days to prepare for life without him before their next game. Sure enough, Tom Brady picked apart the secondary after Leonhard’s injury ten minutes before the end of the Jets’ final practice in preparation for that game had thrown their gameplan into chaos. However, Rex Ryan vowed to fix the defense and they performed superbly in a loss to Miami the following week, after which they beat Pittsburgh and of course went on to play well in the postseason.
The major difference this time is that the Jets cannot afford to have a one-game hangover and then fix the defense, because one more loss could eliminate them. However, at least they’ve got all week to prepare.
During the postseason, it was Eric Smith and Brodney Pool, the two obvious starters now, who got the job done with Dwight Lowery as a third safety off the bench. However, people forget that Smith was injured too at the end of the season, so it was actually Pool and Lowery who were starting, with Cole as the third safety, in a couple of those games where they had started to turn things around.
Given the complexity of the Jets’ scheme, I think it’s unlikely that the Jets will sign anyone to fill the void. Instead, I anticipate that they will employ Cole or Strickland in the box, or perhaps sometimes in center field. I could see them using Cromartie to roam deep on some passing downs too and Cole and Strickland have the versatility to line up opposite their man with Cromartie eight yards behind and then they have the option to rush the passer and have Cromartie pick up their guy in off-man coverage. When Pool was out earlier in the year, they did run some two safety packages with three or four cornerbacks, so the biggest upheaval will almost certainly just be in terms of how well they can communicate back there.
On Sunday, Pool actually started and then it became apparent that they were going to rotate Pool and Smith like they did in the Buffalo game (but not last week). Obviously, once Leonhard went down, Smith and Pool were in full time (although Tracy Wilson got three snaps for Smith at the end). Neither was badly exposed in coverage and Smith even added a sack, although he did also miss a tackle.
Pool has always concerned me because he seems more susceptible to blown assignments than anyone else (remembering that I can’t always be certain whose fault a given play is). However, he played smart, disciplined football at the end of last year, so perhaps if he’s playing full time, his focus will be greater. I note that I’ve highlighted the discrepancy between how well Smith plays when he’s getting the majority of the snaps compared with when he’s in a backup role, so perhaps something similar can be said for Pool and how much more likely he is to blow an assignment if he’s coming in cold off the bench.
Isaiah Trufant went into the game on defense with three plays to go, but then there was a timeout and he came out of the game again for some reason.
Special Teams
There’s not much to be said about the kicking game, as Nick Folk didn’t attempt a field goal. TJ Conley punted well, with a 45.0 average and three downed inside the 20, one of which set up Pouha’s safety. One of his kicks was almost blocked, but he got away a great punt. However, he did have a short one from the endzone, which led to a field goal. Note: Other than Sebastien Janikowski’s 61-yarder in week three, the Jets’ opponents are perfect on field goals this year.
Instead, I want to focus on the coverage units, which were excellent this week. While Javier Arenas fared slightly better, Dexter McCluster was held to four yards on one punt return and 85 yards on five kickoffs, as the Jets did a great job of getting downfield.
In particular, I wanted to highlight the work of Nick Bellore, who had two tackles and has quietly moved up to 2nd place in the NFL in special teams tackles. However, it wasn’t either of his tackles that stood out. Instead there was one kickoff where he just annihilated Jerheme Urban, the lead blocker, and knocked him flying. Tracy Wilson cleaned up behind him with the tackle on about the 15-yard line.
It wasn’t just Bellore, though. Cole, Trufant and Tracy Wilson all did a great job of getting downfield all day, with Cole downing a punt at the five and Trufant combining with Mauga to down a punt at the one. McIntyre also contributed a forced fumble.
Most of all, it’s good not to have to talk about another muffed punt, although Leonhard’s injury gives further cause for concern. However, Kerley looked good and will hopefully be much more comfortable with a full time role than putting him out there at random times.
Conclusions
Same conclusion: One game at a time. These three wins in a row won’t mean anything if they don’t win on Sunday.
The Leonhard injury presents a huge challenge and they will probably need to open up the playbook a bit more to win this one, but the play of Greene, the offensive line, the defense, the coverage units and Sanchez avoiding any serious mistakes give them a solid foundation with which they are capable of beating anyone. Hopefully, they will carry over some momentum from this game in all of those areas.
Remember, if there’s anything else you’d like me to comment upon or go into more detail about, let me have your suggestions in the comments and I’ll respond in BGA Extra later in the week.
83 Responses to BGA: Chiefs at Jets
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Antwan says:
Do you think the lack of Sanchez turnovers (last 3 games) can be accredited to an increase in focus, a decrease of bad judgment and more of “taking what he’s given”? Is he staring down recievers like he used to? Or was it a brilliant Moo..uhh Schotty gameplan??
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joeyboy79 says:
Exactly- they will have to open up the play book more to win on Sunday. As I mentioned, the eagles bring a defense that can generate pressure and their offense can also score , so Sanchez will not be in the comfort zone of the safe passing game in order to keep pace. To beat the eagles, Sanchez must open it up and also deal with the heat.This concerns me as he will be more vulnerable. This will be a huge test. If we can handle the eagles we win out!
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juunit says:
The first Jets game I’m unable to watch in years… and it’s probably one of the best games they’ve played in all those years… awesome. That sounds just like my luck. At least I’ll be back in the tri-state for the next game, which I don’t plan on missing.
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jvsvn says:
The thing you notice most about Ducasse when he comes in is just how HUGE he is and how well he moves for someone that size. It’s obviously what got him drafted so high. If he can have a productive offseason program and come back as a legit player, that would be an enormous bonus.
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lead the league in fcking wins says:
i was saying the exact same thing to my buddy during the game. the dude is a monster. once he figures it out he is going maul people.
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What do you think will be the biggest key to winning the Eagles game, a tough one in Philly:
a) Ball control
b) Run D
c) O-Line (My vote)
d) Secondary play
e) 2> Big offensive plays -
JayGo says:
I think Sanchez is playing better because (1) the offensive line is playing better giving him a little more time and confidence, and (2) the game plan is keeping the defense off balance a notch. So, it’s a combination. I am a Sanchez fan. The guy never has time. They ask him to do a lot, to basically carry the offense as the running game is inconsistent at best, and he more often than not performs.
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Is Sanchez the best redzone QB right now??
(Statwise, that is).
BTW ugly redzone pick by Brady Sun. -
Without a doubt the oline. Without a dominating defense, Sanchez will need time to throw to keep pace with the eagles who can score. The dump offs and 2 yard passes wont get it done. The conservative offense worked against the skins and chiefs who cant score but we need the oline in this one to be rock solid. The eagles got 9 sacks against the phins and knocked MM out of the game. Losman was also battered when he came in. Their pass rush is no joke!
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Philly can beat anyone so they are a threat but some fast facts:
1. Beating Miami, they won for the 2nd time in 6 games.
2. Eagles offense against Miami produced a total of 239 yards. KC had 221 against the Jets.
3. Eagles scored 24 points in 9 minutes off three turnovers to beat Miami. This was a miami melt down, not an eagles dominent performance.
4. Eagles have lost to Buffalo, Seattle and Arizona.
5. Only time Vick played the Jets, he had 3 interceptions and a 16.3 QB rating (OK, that’s not fair it was ’05).
6. Vick sacked 4 times last week.
7. Jake Long went out in the first quarter; Miami had no answer; Eagles had nine sacks running over Long’s position.
8. Philly looking at grudge matches with Washington and Dalla in the last two weeks.
Sorry, but the Eagles reputation is far better than their actual play. Of course they can win, but if the Jets don’t turn it over, we should win going away. Eagles offense has been a problem for them all year and playing the Jets will not be easy for them.
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LIJetsFan says:
How often were both Ducasse and Mulligan in together for running plays and what were the results? How often did Connor join them? Are those three the new ground and pound set?
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Ducasse-glad to see him out there. I’ve said it before-why was he drafted so high as a developmental player? I wonder what other team who have drafted him that high. Same with a Powell this year (4th Rnd). with Leonard going down we see the lack of depth this roster has and this is something the Jets need to address by drafting smarter in 2012. Tannenbaum needs a “Tom Moore” type personnel advisor. I’m not sure if it was him or Rex that was infatuated with Asamougha but there were bigger needs than CB last off season and we see them now. (OLB, OL, S)Maybin has helped the pass rush but they still need someone for the other side. Pace doesn’t have that burst.
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jetdawg says:
Tannenbaum has a “Tom Moore” type personnel advisor – Senior Personnel Exec Terry Bradway (yes, GM of the Herm era) – he has an important behind the scenes role in evaluating football talent
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Jeff says:
Eh…
Didn’t we trade essentially a 1st or 2nd rounder for Doug Jolley since he “assumed” that he was our replacement at TE, and there were no good TE’s available in the draft. “cough” Heath Miller “cough”
Also lets not even bring up Ed Reed
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Nickballs2000 says:
We need to run the ball right down the eagles throats. They are fast at DE but have crappy LBs and are small. Lets give em 26 carries by the Greene man with 7 more from LT and lets go get it. This team starting to get my hopes up again.
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+1. This is the best gameplan, Philly has no skill in the middle of the field. Greene and Keller/Holmes in the slot should have big days
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Ducasse is physically impressive and hopefully he turns into something. Big, strong, and quick but doesnt seem to hold his blocks very long. Idk. The drafting of Powell is the one i dont understand. Seems like we had other more pressing needs. Hopefully he proves me wrong. Sux to see Jimmy get hurt but there is a tiny tiny positive to this. And thats the fact that now Rex is forced to go get us a big time safety. I want Landry from Wash.
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I noticed the Jets took more shots down the field this last game so are the deep shots here to stay?
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Why don’t they let Sanchez have more options when he audibles? It seems like they only let him change the direction of a running play.
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Long shots here to stay. Tom Moore knows how to stretch the defense and knows you have to make that throw for that reasson even if it doesn’t hit. Defenses have been packing in on Sanchez expecting the dink and dunk. Other teams are seeing what you saw and now will play a few steps back. It’s about time. As I wrote up top, Tom Moore addition is the best thing that has happened to this team in a couple of years.
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So…the addition of Moore is better than going to 2 straight AFC championship games?
Not sure that many will agree with that thought.
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Looking at the schedules and so on, it could really end up with the Jets in the 6th seed and NE in the 3 seed. That would have the Jets in Foxboro in Round 1. Hmmmm . . .
I like it. Over and out.
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Bent — thanks for the “happy recap” and splendid analysis.
Regarding the sack when Hunter moved outside…I don’ t recall anyone out there to block. If there is noone outside, shouldn’t he at least chip the inside guy? That apparent(to me) whiff almost got Sanchez killed.
Also, in a game like that it would have been nice to get Plaxico a catch at some point…the Jets don’t need anyone sulking down the stretch.
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yeah, from what i remember it looked like he more of got fooled by the DE faking an outside move
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WOJF says:
disagree, focusing on keeping holmes and plax happy is at least part of the reason for sanchez poor stats, throw to the open reciever.
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usually i would agree…but in a blowout, a second half toss to Plax should have been considered IMO
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Bob Kole says:
Question on Maybin, was he targeted by KC?
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Losing Jimmy this time around at least gives us enough time to scheme around him, and could keep the Eagles guessing a bit, me thinks. Unless they go to last year’s film, though…
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How did we fare running in the singleback sets? Seems like were getting good runs pounding the ball with the I formation. Then we got of it, and seemed like we just hit a wall.
It seemed like Revis gave up a number of catches to Bowe, how did he fare in coverage?
Also- note how KC had plays designed to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers – Bowe. Does Schotty do the same with Holmes, or is Sanchez still having communication issues with him?
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Great work as always, my friend.
In the chat we were discussing this, but is Powell as bad as we think or were the lanes and blocks just not there for him?
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mikebe1 says:
Who are the top pff safetys that are due to be free agents next year that can replace jimmy or do we need to draft a player or trade for a player
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wunky says:
You might not be able to see it on TV — though maybe an analyst mentioned it after the play — but there was one pass to Keller over the middle where Sanchez was completely locked in on him. If he glanced left, LT was wide open, all by himself, and would have had a 60 yard TD, without hyperbole. Looking at the play-by-play, I believe the play was with 3:44 left in the 1st Q.
Did they show that on the replay on TV? It was maddening. LT jumped up and down angrily, pointed at Rex on the sideline as if to say “did you see that?” and came back to the huddle shaking his head. It wasn’t a ‘quick’ read either. Sanchez had time to glance around while Keller made his move, but stayed locked in.
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It wouldn’t be the 1st time. It is rare that we ever benefit from coverage breakdowns from other teams.
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Can you think if the use of the screen pass as a counter to the pass rush is more related to Sanchez learning how to make the throw during the course of the year or the influence of Moore on the offense?
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Also, is the old time drop back draw play no longer a viable play option passed on modern defensive schemes? Why don’t you see it run any more? If nothing else just to slow down the pass rush.
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Bent,
Any specific reason behind the inability of Tomlinson and Powell to run the ball behind the same line?
How about Powell’s lack of performance? It seemed to me that he had no momentum hitting the holes. And he usually pounded north-south. Also it didnt help him that the defense knew it was a run game. Have they tried him in the flat or for a screen? -
Two things I’ve noticed:
Ducasse is a pretty good run blocker. I saw him push his man well off the line on a number of plays.
Powell looks horrible. It almost looks like he’s afraid to hit the hole.
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Looking forward if we make the playoffs and face New England. How does Pool fare in coverage against Gronkowski? How much has he been in man coverage against him in the past? Is he big, tall and physical enough to cover him? Also, is there a chance that Brady can more easily identify the coverages and take advantage of the safeties when Leonhard is in? Maybe the JETS value his work ethic, leadership, and ability to communicate the defensive playcalls so much that they get exposed in coverage physically more than they will with Pool.
Also, when watching Cam Chancellor play safety for Seattle at 6’3, 235, I can’t help but wonder if that is what we need to target in the draft. Some of these young DB’s are much more athletic than ever before and if we find one who is physical like Chancellor maybe we can finally match up with these tough to cover tight-ends who are taking over the league (it seems). Is the ultra-athletic OLB/S be the new evolution like the hybrid 3-4 OLB/DE?
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Also, can you explain the difference in skill-set between Earl Thomas and Kyle Wilson. They are both 5’10 and Thomas is listed as 12lbs heavier, though it sounds like Wilson put on weight since his rookie year. They both can tackle and have good ball-skills. They’re both physical and it seems like Wilson has good instincts. I know Thomas does. Wilson might not be as good, but couldn’t he fill the FS role in a similar way? Why or why not? The premise for my question is it seems like Kyle is much better moving forward than with his back turned to the action.
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levi says:
Great job Bent.
Is the offensive play calling really that much different the last couple of games or is the execution just better? I know there were alot more run plays because of the lead but other than that I guess. -
Revis Christ says:
Loving the fact that maybin is now a force that cant be ignored and is demanding the attention of the lineman. Imagine offsetting him with a Stud PR? This defense would be ridiculous
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More then stats wise, can you comment on your feelings about Mark Sanchez. He played well, yet he seemed to have a chip on his shoulder. Do you think the boos from last week and the criticism is getting to him. The last two years when he would throw/score or even hand off for a touchdown he was very enthusiastic..smiling high fiving the guys…etc. The two plays that specifically come to mind are the naked bootleg…where he just handed the ball to the official and the TD pass to homes…he did the “fly by chest bump” with Tone, but just barely..he seemed very nonchalant about it. Didn’t seem him smiling much if at all on the sidelines (or eating hot dogs for that matter)…just curious if you noticed this as well and what you might think about it. Thanks.
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Brendan says:
I know this wasn’t directed at me, but I think Mark does have a chip on his shoulder.
Not in a “man, why won’t they just leave me alone” way, but more a “two AFC title games, outplayed Manning/Brady/Big Ben and Rivers in the playoffs, winning percentage over 60%…and these people STILL don’t respect me?!?” mindset.
People have routinely talked about how they want Sanchez to behave this way: cold-blooded, level-headed, business-like, etc. Sanchez seems to be fed up with constantly getting killed by fans and media alike. This is usually where someone would interject and say “THEN PLAY BETTER!” I think Sanchez is pissed because when he plays well it’s brushed under the rug and not talked about. When he plays inconsistently or a little below his A game, he’s a bad QB. When he has a genuinely bad game he’s the worst QB ever. People, for whatever reason, always slant their view of Mark negatively.
I wouldn’t blame him for having a chip on his shoulder, he gets little respect from fans and media alike.
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I totally agree. I was so pissed when I heard he got booed at his introduction the other week. And to see some of the short sighted comments of some of the fair weather posters even on this board that we should cut or trade him….there a number of teams that would kill for a decent QB right now…(Chicago, Miami, KC…and the list goes on.) This guy has all the tools. He can make any throw and when he is on, he shows flashes of greatness. I think the consistency will come in time….this is only his 3rd year in the league and look what he has already done. I just hope he doesn’t loose that enthusiasm that we saw from him the last two years…I was very disturbed to see his “attitude” on Sunday…maybe it’s his new hair cut.
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He might just be in complete “Eff You” mode. As in “Fine…you don’t think I can do it? Watch me.”
I’ve always been a firm believer that a player with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove is a very dangerous player.
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Agreed on both points! That was the exact feeling I got watching him on Sunday…an Eff you attitude…and since the booing and media criticism he has played pretty well. Although he didn;t blaze up the stat sheet with yards, he had a 4 TD game and a 2 qb rushing/2 TD throwing game. Passes have seemed (for the most part, still some over throws and the like) crisp and they have come out with some fire to his recievers…if the eff you attitude works, I guess he can keep it right on into and through the playoffs.
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One of the biggest offenders is Fouts, who never passes up a chance to kill Sanchez for every negative play but barely acknowledges a positive (even during a two TD two Rushing day).
It was always a great route or great pass blocking on a positive play, always Mark’s fault on a negative play.
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ckmagic says:
Brendan,
Eli’s performance on Sunday is the exact thing I’m worried about when they play the Giants. If the Giants get the ball down anything less than 8, the Jets will either lose in regulation or OT.
That is the biggest difference right now between he and Sanchez. What are the chances that Sanchez pulls of a down by 12 with five minutes left? Especially against their division rival on the road. Imagine Sanchize doing that in NE? Not likely.
Sunday was the best half of football they played this season, but let’s not forget the sloppy way they performed in the second half. I know Sanchez came out with nine minutes left, but it seemed like they took their foot off the gas in the third quarter and all the symetry and synch they had in the first half was gone.
That might be nit-picking, but against a good offense you can’t go into hibernation because you have a twenty-point lead. How many have we seen blown this season in the NFL?
The Jets have set themselves up now so they have absolutely no excuses if they don’t make the playoffs. They have destiny in their own hands right now.
Sadly, I have zero confidence that they will do so, however. Being a fan for as long as I have tells me we are in for a HUGE letdown come Sunday. Waaaay to many people are dissing the Eagles because they have struggled this season. Well, most of the times Vick has played they have taken leads deep into the game, so anyone who thinks the Jets will just walk into Philly and beat a team they have never defeated before is fooling themselves.
The great thing about these final three weeks is the Jets will have a chance to prove themselves. Maybe its the negative nelly in me that’s talking, but until I see it happen, I don’t think they can do it.
Their defense is way to suspect to stop the Eagles or Giants enough, and Sanchez and company need to be flawless to overcome the points the Eagles and Giants can put up (especially the Giants).
My negative gut instinct tells me that I’ll be pumped for Sunday’s game because this is yet another chance for this franchise to take the next step and charge ahead and dominate that final playoff spot. Head into the postseason on fire, and leave the doubters and naysayers with nothing but egg on their face. However, every single time this team has had that chance they have left fans throwing stuff by the end of the game.
In your own words, history has nothing to do with the present. We will see what this team is made of.
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Football Outsiders has the Jets defense ranked 2nd. PFF has them 6th. And don’t look now, but they’re a point out of being a top 10 defense by standard statistics (points), and they’re 6th in yards surrendered a game. They have a great pass defense against two teams that either can’t run (Giants) or haven’t run the ball well recently (Eagles are averaging less than 100 yards the past month).
The Jets were up 35-3 when they took Sanchez out. How many people were pissed when LT was hurt in meaningless garbage time? Foot off the gas? They were up 20 points!
The Jets offense does not need to be flawless. They’re playing two bad defenses, so they need to run the ball to slow the pass rush and keep those immaculate offenses off the field.
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How many passes did Sanchez complete in the second half?
Ok then…
Throwing stats out there without a context is meaningless. The eagles and giants have the offensive talent and speed that gives the jets fits.
Like I said, the jets have no one to blame but themselves if they lose. Three teams all who have been exposed by other teams, and two at least three games under .500 await them.
The jets can’t lose any of these games and then show their face as anything other than a huge disappointment.
Starting with analyzing the roster in the offseason, this front office is the reason this team will most likely miss the postseason, they drafted OK (shoring up the dline and getting Kelrley and the Alabama QB), but they ignored safety, the oline and OLB.
The jets need to start buliding a team again in the offseason. This will be a huge draft for them as they need depth at all of the positions I mentioned, as well as speed to the defense. The last two offseason have been trying to fine the one missing piece, but thats not how you win in the nfl.
Look at Pittsburgh. They always draft well, and utilize free agency to fill depth. Every time one of their superstars leave they have a guy waiting in the wings to take over.
This more than anything is what has disappointed me in the jets. They should be better right now, but let’s view this as a learning year.
Scott is old and getting slow, and has one or two years at the most left. Thomas is probably done. Brandon Moore looks like he is running out of gas soon, and with Leonard being a FA, they have that much more to full at safety.
I hope that Tannenbaum and Rex realize that bragging about getting to the super bowl has clouded their vision. If they use the draft properly by KEEPING all of their picks, or even better, trading down for more, they will be so much better in the next 2-3 years.
They then can use FA to FA few immediate needs like safety and the oline. The draft should be used for speed on defense and depth in the defensive backfield and oline.
Trading up and giving away picks for one player, even if it is a need , is not the way to go.They have a nice core of Harris, Revis, mangold, brick,chez and holmes, so let’s see how much this season has taught them.
I don’t thi k they gave themselves much of a chance to succeed this season with the way they shaped their roster. Nonetheless, they are still in good position. If the jets are a team that needs to be mentioned in the AFC elite (with Baltimore, NE and Pittsburgh), then they win these last three games. If not, then that much more needs to go into why they took a step back, and how to really build a consistent SB contender.
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Very impressive post! I couldn’t agree more.
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Zenlaw says:
I’m so sick of the hating on Sanchez. We are so fickle. The guy has helped the team get to the AFC Championship game in his first 2 years (all with road game wins.) What QB in the history of the NFL has matched that statistic?
Is pairing Vlad with Hunter analogous to pairing 2 negatives to create a positive charge?
I think the Dolphins bigger problem than the Sparano firing is the loss of Jake Long.
What a bummer that the Jets dropped the Denver game, but it’s less painful now that we are seeing opponent after opponent yield to Tebow in the 4th quarter.
Great game this week. Let’s hope the Jets can keep it going. Winning 6 of their last 8 is an excellent run.
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Looking ahead more than looking back.
I believe this game is now the biggest impediment to the Jets playoff chances. Road game, talented team, given life by Dallas collapse, its entirely possible Eagles can win the division if they beat the Jets. Their record is meaningless.
As for my questions;
1) Appeared Leonhard had spy responsibility much of the time on Tebow, and assume he would have done the same with Vick. Will that responsibility now go to Pool (I hope) or Smith (I hope not)?
2) Cimini speculates that Jets will now keep Bart Scott on the field a lot more in passing downs, he was coming out much of the time when Pool came in as extra safety, with Smith playing closer to a LB position in passing situations. So now they will just leave Scott in and the pass defense will essentially remain the same, meaning not much of an adjustment is necessary. Does this make sense?
He also speculated that Bellore could see some time if they pull Scott off the field.
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SackDance99 says:
A couple of points on whether the Eagles game means anything to the Eagles. If the Giants and Cowboys win on Sunday, the Eagles will be all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs…a fact they will know by the 4:15 kickoff as the other games are 1 pm starts. Since the Eagles have 8 losses and the Cowboys and Giants play each other in week 17, barring a tie, one of them would be 9-7 no matter what happens in week 16. And, if the Cowboys and Giants do win, it makes week 16 utterly irrelevant to both teams. So, do the Giants put their players at risk against the Jets knowing that a loss to the Cowboys eliminates them from the playoffs?
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Cimini’s run breakdown stats indicate they ran much better to the right than up the middle or to the left, so logically I figured Hunter had a good run blocking game.
You indicate he was less than stellar, so were the good runs because of the extra blockers I presume?
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cimini is an idiot. he says that there was no difference in ypc when vlad was in the game, so he wasn’t a factor. then he whines about how predictable they were with him in there because they ran on 17 of 18 plays. doesn’t that mean vlad was effective if everyone knew they were going to run and they still maintained their ypc?
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JetsImpact414 says:
Do you think that because of JL’s injury we will see tracy wilson in a bigger role?
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Will Patrick Turner and Josh Baker be utilized more? They both had nice catches on sunday and I like what I see from both of them.
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Do you think that Mark Sanchez is finally becoming the QB that evreybody excepted him to be after 2 nice games?
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Schlauderaff nearly got into a fight on one of his three snaps. That’s a high percentage.
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i don’t care who mark sanchez gives the credit to. since tom moore has been up in the box, the jets have been flawless in the redzone. what do you think the difference is with his redzone schemes than schottys from last year or even this year when moore wasnt directly involved
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mark has done a good job the last couple of weeks not turning it over, and “taking what the defense gives him”. is that approach enough to beat the eagles and giants? i think the giants d especially can be really solid if you don’t stretch them out and dictate your style of play and push the envelope. we need to stretch these defenses out and take advantage of their weak underbellies aka safeties and lbs. i think keller is the key to the next couple of weeks along with the run game. we really have to pound it against philly to keep babin from eating hunter and then mark alive
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ahh, the screen… WHERE THE HELL HAS THIS BEEN? where was it in denver when we couldn’t run the ball for our lives. it seems every time we use it it’s to good effect, but schotty will use it a couple of times and then decide to try something else for a change. howbout use it till they stop it?
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Bent, you’re starting to sound like cimini when you criticize a playcall just because it didnt work out. when its 4th and 4, and youre not going to punt, the play is to pass it. it so happened d’brick got beat. but every confident team (aka team with a winners mentality thats not always worrying about what might go wrong) would pass in that situation. you dont hear the patriots fans complain about bill leaving brady out there in a three score game to try to pad his stats. i want my team to have that confidence
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No, putting Sanchez at risk on an obvious passing down in a blowout was pure stupidity by Schotty.
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it says more about hunter that his poor run blocking was in garbage time than if it would have been in a closer game imo. lack of effort and caring is the one thing i cant handle as a fan. whenever i see hunter smiling after a dumb penalty, i want to punch him in the face. for all of eric smiths inadequacies, he plays his heart out every snap. i don’t get that from hunter and that is why he’s the only jet on the team i really cant stand and want off the team.
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why cant Lt run the ball as effectively as greene, if greene isn’t breaking any tackles? is he making the wrong reads? he seems quick enough and he should be fresh, if not as quick as he used to be. he sure seems just as quick as shonn? as you alluded to, it seems as though he has less room to run, but why would that make sense? why would the oline not perform close to as well as they do for greene? if anything there should be lighter boxes for Lt as he is usually in there on passing downs.
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how has mo wilk done as a pass rusher? is he getting better in this area? i know he is a 3-4 end but shaun ellis always collected at least a handful of sacks a year and had that monster game against the pats. is he being employed in a similar role?
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i was really impressed with dixon on sunday. it seems he gets better with more playing time. do you think well see more of him even when devito gets back to provide more of a push and get some speed on the line
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why do you think the jets used more base personnel on passing downs? was it because the chiefs were going hurry-up and we didn’t have time to sub, or is this something we’ll see more of in the future?
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The Chiefs were running the hurry up to prevent the Jets from making defensive substitutions.
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i really hate the prevent defense. its this that keeps tebow winning games when he cant complete a pass for his life into tight coverage. why do the jets back off toward the end of games when they are dominating? rex looked pissed when they allowed that td (which i thought would get the rest of our safeties hurt all at once when they collided) but what was he expecting when you are playing soft.
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i think this was the worst possible week for leonhard to go down. if there is a time when you need great communication in the secondary, its against the eagles. the jets put a lot of pressure on their corners and safeties with their style of d, not to mention shady could give them fits. a lot of teams play more zone against the eagles to negate some of their speed. do you see the jets doing some of that, or would that just cause more confusion? i cant imagine the corners other than revis sticking with the eagles wrs man to man that long and i dont think blitzing vick is so wise esp with how many tackles the jets miss in the backfield. who do you think darrelle will cover? i can see celek giving us issues also. for the record i think the jets will pick up a veteran safety just for depth bec we are an injury away from a disaster at the position. i dont think cro is an option bec he cant even play off man as a corner.
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is there a science to defending field goals other than actually blocking them? we do give up a ton of long ones. is that our fault or just luck?
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sometimes the jets seem to have a great balance of run pass that just keeps teams on their heels. i was wondering if teams ever dust off old complete sequences from games where the offense was clicking against a similar opponent. or if teams copy sequences from other teams that worked the week before. is that even possible with the differing personnel and playbooks from team to team?
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two more things: 1)that whiff by mulligan was probably the worst missed block i have ever seen 2) Bo = Beast, we have to come up with a good nickname for this guy such as “Bo”hemoth. that is all.
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john says:
Would it make more sense for the Jets to play K. Ellis at NT and move S. Pouha to DT then the other way around when Devito is out? Pouha has spent most of his career at DT and Ellis is a more natural fit at NT……
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Bent says:
John – sorry but I just published BGA Extra before I saw this comment. Hope you get to see this response.
However, what you suggest makes perfect sense and is exactly what they did in the first couple of games DeVito missed!
Right now, I think they prefer using Dixon, who has responded well, although this week it shouldn’t be an issue anyway, because DeVito will be back.
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Love the analysis but you don’t mention what I see as the biggest development in Jets land that contributed to the Chiefs win in a big way: Tom Moore. The Jets offense looked good in large part because the play calling played to the stengths of the team and away from the weaknesses of the team for a change. Very few runs repetitive runs up the middle, age-old passes to backs coming out of the backfield, screen after screen to protect Sanchez and help the offensive line, Keller involved, Connor clearing for Greene, much less five wide formations, Vlad doubling up with Hunter (thank god), passes of more than 5 yards, etc etc. They had a plan and kept KC off balance resulting in 4 TDs in the first half. I have to believe a lot of the credit goes to Moore for bringing a cohesion and game plan to an offense than at times has looked awful. I doubt they will look awful from here on out. Kudos to Rex for making changes and not standing pat with an obvious problem that Rex doesn’t have the skill set himself to fix.
Also, getting a lead allows the defense to play its game. Can’t try to pitch a shutout week after week. Notice that Rex took the ball and didn’t defer against KC? He has more confidence with Moore there and so do I.
Loss of Leonard will be tough but, like you said, they got a week to adjust this time not two days and facing Brady in NE. Vick had a bad game against Miami last week coming off the injury. He’s not 100% and he’s not running the ball like he once did. Actually a good match up for the Jets to adjust to life without Leonard. Eagles of course can play with anyone on their best day. They haven’t had a best day in a long time. Miami gave the game away last week. If Jets don’t turn it over, they should be able to take care of business in Philly.
Firing of Sparano, I believe, is also good luck for the Jets. Why fire him now and not wait until the end of the season? That’s easy. Miami had its respectability run, they lost to another 4-8 team because of turnovers, ownership will clean house and wants draft picks, so now it’s time to get back to business and lose to improve draft picks. 2nd and 3rd stringers the whole way out “to see what they can do.” Very good for the Jets. Having to win in Miami on the last day of the season is scary to me, worse than playing the hot Giants or Eagles, and I do believe they will need to win week 17 for the playoffs. Miami will be 4-11 in week 17 looking to get out of town. More Jet fans will be in that stadium that Phin fans. we caught a break.