Post Game Thoughts: Jets 28 Bills 24
It was not a very reassuring win, but the Jets live to fight another day.
Offense
Let’s start with the good today. TE Dustin Keller and WR Plaxico Burress made some incredible catches on the afternoon. It is a game like this which makes watching Keller so maddening. The talent is there, it just doesn’t comes out all the time. His leaping tip and grab was probably the most athletic catch he has ever made since coming into the NFL as a pro and then he followed it up with a TD score that he just manned into the end zone. Plaxico made this one handed tip grab along the sidelines that pretty much defied logic. It was the play that saved the Jets season and possibly QB Mark Sanchez’ job. He also got himself wide open in the second quarter at a time when the Jets were completely struggling giving Sanchez an easy target in the back of the end zone. RB Shonn Greene may have had his best game of the year and he was doing it in pain. His penchant for getting injured has been noticeable and it seems to have upset Rex Ryan enough that he supposedly pulled Greene last week after he hurt his ribs insinuating that he wasn’t going hard enough. Watching him this week made you realize how hurt he really was last week and he gutted it out this time. The offensive line did their jobs well and never let Sanchez get touched while also opening up lanes for Greene and Joe McKnight.
But those handful of plays were pretty much the extent of the offensive output. Sanchez had 4 TDs and it may have been the worst 4 TD game of all time, illustrating just how meaningless the TD stat can be sometimes. Sanchez was awful most of the afternoon. He again threw an interception in an area of the field where it sets up an easy scoring opportunity for the opposition. It was a terrible pass and announcer Rich Gannon was all over him for the way he was progressing through his reads and forcing the ball to the wrong people. Gannon was brought in to actually consult with Sanchez so he does have some experience with him and seemed to be very firm in his analysis of some of the mistakes he was making. His passes were just all over the field and there were at least two other times where he could have been picked, one of which would have cost the Jets a TD. To be under 50% against a team that allowed over 80% to Tony Romo and 70% to Matt Moore is hard to believe. You have to give him credit for hanging in there on the final drive and he did have two good moments on that drive that included running a QB sneak to make sure there was no challenging the Plaxico catch and directing traffic on the final TD pass to Holmes, but it does not hide the fact that the QB play continues to be subpar and needs to be fixed. WR Santonio Holmes just looks lost in the flow of the offense. He had the winning TD grab, but dropped two passes that hit his hands and was so out of sync with Sanchez on a third down play that you wonder if the two even communicate in the huddle. It was that bad. The Jets expect much more out of Holmes and he is not giving it to them right now.
Defense
Like the offense this group was lucky. Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick lit them up on the day and should have won the game in the final seconds. WR Stevie Johnson completely shook open and split the defense on a play that may have been a game winning score, but he dropped the pass. After that he again went free, this time in the end zone, and Fitzpatrick just missed him. It was a nightmare day for both starting corners, in particular Antonio Cromartie. Cromartie was abused by former Jet WR Brad Smith, a complete non-factor in the Jets offense. He missed a few tackles and had the terrible special teams play that nearly cost the team the game. CB Darrelle Revis again was beaten by Johnson. In the last game I got criticized a bit for saying Johnson was the lone bright spot for Buffalo since he outplayed Revis in a meaningless game, but for whatever reason he just has Revis’ number. WR Kyle Wilson gave up a big catch and got called for a hold on the same play and S Eric Smith gave up a grab early as well.
DE Aaron Maybin destroyed his old team scoring three sacks in his limited playing time. He is a one trick pony, but that one trick is great. If Vernon Gholston had half the motor Maybin has, Gholston would have been a 10-12 sack a year guy. The line play was solid against the run, but there is also the catch that they played against a backup runner and a beat up offensive line. LB Calvin Pace had a good game and was active as he continues to stake a case for Pro Bowl consideration. Smith did make a big run stop late in the game where had he whiffed the Bills would have had a big gain. Still its pretty clear that when the Jets secondary plays poorly the defense is very vulnerable. Other than the Maybin plays and a Pace pressure or two there was little they did to impede Fitzpatrick and relied more on Buffalo mistakes than creating problems for the Bills
Special Teams
Joe McKnight and Jim Leonhard both had a nice return on the day but Cromartie fumbled a punt that nearly turned the game. Why the decision was made to put him back there I do not know, but he did not look comfortable in the role and just lost the football. Specials did recover a botched kickoff that essentially turned into an onside kick attempt which let the Jets keep the Bills from snagging all of the momentum in the game.
Coaching
Rex Ryan said the Jets playoffs started now, but they sure did not look like they believed it. Twice the Jets burned timeouts defensively. One was a clear 12 men on the field and I have to guess the second one was as well. Three years now and this problem persists. The clock management at the end of the first half was poor as was the playcalling. The Bills basically giftwrapped a field goal attempt but somehow the Jets ran out of time. They had a screen to McKnight that didn’t get out of bounds, which seemed like a refs mistake but may have been due to McKnight fumbling the ball, and the Jets decided to let a ton of time run off the clock. Having a timeout in your pocket to set up a field goal is all well and good, but with the time the Jets had left on the clock they couldhave run a few short sideline plays to get in range. Instead they went screen, deep middle, screen, screen. The last play was of no consequence and I guess they did not want Sanchez to chance another interception to do a hail mary attempt, but before that was miserable.
During the game former Jet tackle Damien Woody tweeted the question about why everything has to be so hard for the offense. Its not the first time he has said that and I think he is insinuating that nothing can be an easy “staple” play in this offense. Nothing is simple. It is all about asking a very inaccurate QB and lax WR’s to be perfect to make it work. The Bills seemed to have everything the Jets were doing scouted perfectly. The way their guys were undercutting the routes early it just seemed as if they knew everything the Jets were doing before the Jets did it. That’s a knock on both the coaching and the QB. There are things the QB has to do to avoid these situations but when you see your QB is not executing your plays week after week, year after year, you have to dumb things down. The Denver Broncos play football with a guy who doesn’t even belong in the NFL playing that position. They scrapped their entire offense midway through the year to play to his strengths, running a college style option offense. The Jets have had three years to find a way to play to Sanchez’ strengths and they haven’t done it.
Overall
Watching this game all I had were memories of the 2008 contest that the Bills handed to the Jets. The Jets were awful that day, particularly on offense, but Buffalo made a boneheaded playcall that led to a fumble and defensive TD to win a game the Jets had no reason to win. While there was maybe no play as egregious as that one this game was loaded with gifts. A botched kickoff. Dropped interceptions. Dropped touchdowns. Our guys took advantage of most of the mistakes but Buffalo beat themselves just like they did in 2008.
The question is do the Jets take advantage in 2011 or is the result the same as 2008. Everyone thought the win in 2008 was what the team needed to break it out of its funk and storm into the playoffs. It never happened. They continued to lose and play poorly, ultimately resulting in the head coach losing his job. This team is playing just as poor and just like in 2008 has an easy schedule it should dominate to take a lead in the race, but nothing is easy when you play like the Jets have played the last 3 weeks. Maybe this sparks the team.
Somehow the Jets need to manage an easy win next week against Washington or the following week against Kansas City. Its not just for the psyche of the fans, but of the players as well. Championship caliber teams usually have a few laughers along the way. The Jets don’t. Even in their blowout wins they had to work hard to get there because the offense stalled. They need one in the worst way. The Patriots game broke the teams spirit. You regain that by just dominating an opponent.
It’s anyone’s guess where the team goes from here. On paper they should win the next 3 games, but they are not playing up to “the paper” level. Some may say that if there is a week to stumble it is next week against the Redskins since it is on the road against a NFC team, but the Jets need a streak, not to be 6-6 saying that running the table gets them in. The Jets really have to be 8-5 when they head into Philadelphia. Then they can at least think of splitting games with the remaining NFC teams depending on how their rivals in the AFC are playing. But they have to win next week. If they don’t the season is likely over. Hope for the best Go Jets!
Great write up. The one thing I'd point out is the loss of LT and Kerley to Sanchez and the offense. I don't believe it's merely a coincidence that the offense has had two of it's worst weeks each of the last two and both LT and Kerley have been on the sidelines. LT and Kerley over the previous weeks were Sanchez's security blankets. And quite frankly, with Buffalo rushing 4, dropping 7 most of the game, they can double team Keller, Burress, and Holmes if they so choose. There appeared to be little opportunity for Sanchez, i.e. wide receivers were not gaining separation. The addition of Kerley and LT back into the mix will keep defenses honest, and COULD help Sanchez's play normalize. Sanchez has proven over the last two years he can handle pressure (playing his best games in the biggest of moments). Today SHOULD help his confidence, Rex MUST let the pressure and expectations slide, and once his "blankies" return (Kerley and LT) I THINK you will see a better Mark Sanchez. Would you agree, or do you think the loss of Kerley and LT is not as big a factor? The plus to losing LT is that McKnight has emerged and should be given at least 5 plays a game.
Steve
I don't want a Tyler Palko or Caleb Hannie, but Sanchez is pretty bad, lets call him the #25 QB in the league.
Tannenbaum needs to do something about this.
2. It bothers me that Santanio Holmes looks lost. he just got paid, and even if Sanchez sucks, he need sto play hard. Its just 16 games, its not like the 9-6 grind that the rest of us have to put in.
3. Let Keller go after the season - another bust as a #1 pick. OR els ekeep him for a small amount, with some nice incentive clauses. I don't think there will be huge interest in him anyway.
4. Cromartie has been a disappointment, both as a CB and on special teams. Thos efumbles more than make up for a few extra yards here and there.
5. With reports of Peyton Manning retiring, there goes that option. Even to have Manning for 1 year, and letting Sanchez learn form him would have been interesting.
6. Sione Pouha looks like a beast. Whenever the camera is on his face, it reminds me of a shark tasting blood.
7. With the Sealers and Bengals winning, and seeing Sanchez's poor play, no way the Jets are making the playoffs. My question is - what can they do to improve in the off season?
Can they get a better QB?
A good safety would help.
What coaches need to be replaced?
Is it poor drafting by the FO? IS Tanny not doing a good job? Do the scouts/talent evaluators need to be replaced?
I think drafts are a crapshoot. Maybe there are some great talent evaluators but when I did my draft breakdowns a few years back there are clear positional trends to minimize risk depending on where you draft. Im not sure if there are teams that are just great all the time or not, but I tend to think not. The NFL is all about drafting well in the first round and filling your team out with financially reasonable free agents. The Jets did ok with the 1st round other than Gholston and havent been hurt by any long term free agent deals. Thats why they compete. Everything has a window in the NFL and the Jets was 2008-2010 and they were right there those 3 years. I think they are just fighting to keep it open.Not begging Favre to come back in 2009 did, in hindsight, probably cost the team a Super Bowl.
The team clearly needs an athletic safety. For all the grief we gave Rhodes (and it was all warranted) his lack of effort plays are still better than what we have now for big effort plays. His range kept teams from trying to do things from time to time. Thats gone.
Yesterday, the Jets made some big plays, finally. Say what you want about Sanchez's completion percentage, defensive TO's, and bad safety play, but when the stakes were high, Sanchez, Keller, Burress and Holmes put it together and won it, like they did numerous times last season. The Bills on the other hand, made the stupid mistakes that the Jets did the last two weeks and deservedly lost. I've been waiting since the Dallas game to see them pull one out when they are not on their A-game and deserve the kudos for doing it.
Btw, not all the criticism of Holmes is fair. I can't count how many times I've seen Holmes or Burress break deep on a pattern, gain separation, raise their hand to signal they're open only to watch Sanchez throw a check down.
As much as I hate to say it, Sanchez just doesn't have it.
-Sunil
As for Sanchez, I believe the focus for his first three seasons with the Jets was for him to not lose games, and the coaching staff took as much of the decision making away from him as they could.
Now, however, there appears to be a realization that the Jets will not make it to the Super Bowl (let alone win it) by playing it safe. Now? Sanchez is making all the rookie mistakes he should have made in his first season with the Jets.
Frankly, the Jets need so many fixes to make a serious run for the Super Bowl, they may as well hang on to Sanchez for now, and shop around for a serious QB. I would love nothing better than to see Matt Cassel suited up in the Green & White. He is a difference maker who does not necessarily have to steal the show like a Brett Favre tends to do. Cassel was trained right.
The problem with Sanchez at this juncture is that he must UNlearn some bad habits, and RElearn sound QB decision making. By the time all that takes place, he'll be finding it more difficult to play a full 16-game schedule.
I am sickened by the way Sanchez has been coached, but the damage is done now. It is what it is. No one has defended Sanchez more than I have, but he made some terrible choices in this Bills game when he was not under pressure. It is time to admit that Sanchez could become a good QB one day, but he will never be a great QB.
I say hang on to Sanchez for now because I see what the Texans (who so desperately need a QB) are going through. The pickin's are pretty slim at the moment.
At the end of the day, we are talking about Gang Green here. Just when you think they are done for the season, they play a Super Bowl caliber game and are right in the midst of things again. Unfortunately, the reverse is true, too. It is so difficult to predict what the Jets will do from one week to the next. I'm sticking with my prediction that the Jets will end up with a .500 season, but I am praying that I am wrong and that they will make the playoffs yet again. GO JETS!!!
Sunil- Unless Sanchez has an injury nobody is telling us about Ive never seen arm strength as an issue. The last two years he got the ball down the field and last season was at a well above average percentage. The lack of big passes does do exactly what you said and let defenses crowd the field. As for Holmes I think what you see is a problem with WRs in general. They like to be highlight reel players on ESPN. When you run the style of offense the Jets seem to be running those ESPN chances are slim and they tend to take plays off. Look at how far Steve Smiths game fell when his QB play tailed off. He just didnt even care. I think thats a big reason why Holmes will look like he quits on a play early but by the goal, like against the Bills, he does everything he can to score.
Liam- I agree that the Jets never filled the Edwards role. I dont know why they cant use Holmes that way. He was used that way in Pittsburgh and even occasionally last year. They could use one.
Nice write up! Actually, I was hoping the Jets would lose since I no longer believe this team can win consistently with this terrible offense and weaker defense than in the past. I felt that a win, today would only delay the inevitable loss that knocks them out of the playoffs. I'd rather not see that in week fifteen after three squeakers give me hope. If they lose in the next two weeks, at least we'll see some kind of shakeup. Rex's continuing to cover up the team's shortcomings and saying there's nothing wrong with his offense or his QB, is getting old quick. They're just not a very good football team.
All you had to see was New England dismantling the Eagles to recognize what superior coaching looks like. The NE defense is short on everything, yet they held the Eagles to six meaningless points after first quarter adjustments. We see that so seldom now, on the Jets, even on defense. Yet, the Jets have better personnel on defense than the Patriots, and are arguably better on the O-line, RB and at WR than the Patriots. The difference is clearly coaching and the QB spot. But, BB squeezed eleven wins out of Matt Cassell, who is less talented (and was less experienced) than Sanchez.
Jason,
I think this is the first time I am going to disagree with you. I don't think Cassel is all that good. Even if he is a little better than Sanchez, I wouldn't make the move.
Maybe if Peyton Manning retires (not impossible by any stretch of the mind) the Jets can hire him to work with Sanchez. "Stop sucking and missing all the easy throws. Lead the receiver, dont throw behind him. Don't throw way over the receiver head so it bounces off his hands when he jumps, and the safety catches the deflection. Stop throwing into traffic."