Post Game Thoughts: Jets 17 Dolphins 19
As the Twitter followers know I ended up going out to watch the game today and I paid a great deal of attention to Tennessee and Houston game as well as the Jets game today so this is going to be a bit more of seasonal review than game specific since I cant say I watched the game as close as I usually do. If you see anything blatantly wrong please post it in the comments since I probably just missed it today.
Offense
This season there featured a number of negative stories that came out about the Jets offense. You had a story about the wide receivers being very unhappy with the offensive playcalling which culminated in the release of Derrick Mason. You had a story about Mark Sanchez not being very dedicated to putting in the work outside of practice to improve. There were players very unhappy with the receivers and their comments. There were stories that the team didn’t believe in the QB or the coaching staff. I think those stories all came to had today and may have been proven true.
WR Santonio Holmes was benched at the end of today’s football game after recording no receptions and apparently acting like a real jerk in the huddle during most of the game. WR’s are among the most selfish players in the NFL and Holmes is no different. They put getting on ESPN ahead of being a good teammate that plays hard every play. There is no question that Holmes is a better player than former Jet WR’s Jerricho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards, but those players understood their role in the offense and for the most part played as hard as they could within that role. Holmes has completely disregarded having a role on the offense. He acts like an A-class jerk most of the time, signaling first downs after every meaningless reception and hitting the lowest point with the asinine celebration down by multiple scores against the Philadelphia Eagles, and part of the problem lies with the Jets organization. Rex Ryan’s complete refusal to ever call his players out has let players like Holmes run rampant on the organization. Rex’s approach works fine when you have low key lunchpail type players, like those on his “no name” defensive line, but when you use that same approach with supremely talented players like Holmes you get the mess that the Jets have on their hands.
Some of Holmes’ criticisms are justified. To turn Holmes into a possession receiver is utterly ridiculous. He doesn’t have great height and he doesn’t have the best hands. He is a home run hitter capable of splitting defenses and gaining big yards after the catch. He is not a 7 yard and turn around to make the catch player but that has been the Jets decision. He is also right that he has a QB that does not look his way enough and Mark Sanchez is far too quick to turn to his tight end or running back. But Holmes’ behavior has helped tear this team apart. They didn’t handle him properly and now you have to question if you even want him back next season. The Jets owe Holmes a lot of money and his trade value is very low, but you wonder if they are willing to trade him after todays mishaps. I don’t know how you can bring him and the offensive coordinator back.
The body language Sanchez showed on the sideline was an embarrassment. He looked totally disinterested in the game, lounging on the bench as if he was just waiting for the season to end. Maybe that is not what he was really doing, but the cameras caught him multiple times looking like he was more interested in tanning on South Beach than putting his helmet back on and trying to lead his team to a win. To say he was horrible was an understatement. To underthrow passes to RB’s that end up intercepted by large defensive linemen who haven’t touched a football in the air since high school would be comical if it was in a movie, but as a fan of the Jets it was disheartening to see. And it didn’t happen just once, but twice where he ended up picked off by DE Randy Starks. He doesn’t learn in a game. He makes the same mistakes over and over and over again. There is one guy on the field that had a chance to win the game for the Jets and he was the guy. I’m not sure how many times we have said that this year, but it has been a lot.
But the worst thing about Sanchez is the fact that he seems to play his worst in the worst situations. His end of the first half interception led to 3 points for the Dolphins. His late game interception ended the game. His turnovers led to 9 points and were the difference. There is no such thing as a good turnover but I have a gut feeling that if we tallied up points score off QB turnovers Sanchez’ total would be right around the top of the NFL. There is something to say about situational awareness and Sanchez has none and it is not getting any better. I don’t know what the Jets mindset is with him right now, but I have to think they are going to go into their offseason meetings and really question whether or not he should be the QB next season. The team is no longer good enough to survive bad QB play. The expectation was that Sanchez would grow enough to carry more than just his end of the bargain and he didn’t even come close to doing that.
What options do they have? They can go for broke and hope to get Peyton Manning or Drew Brees. Neither solution may be in the best long term interest of the club, but players want to win and so do coaches and those guys are winners. There is the stopgap solution. This allows you to keep Sanchez on the team and make him really compete for the job. 4 years into the NFL Mark can’t be sulking around because the Jets have lost faith in him. Watch the film. Read the stats. Look at the scores. Take the Jets jersey off him, look at him objectively and the opinions are going to be incredibly negative. If he was a Patriot every Jet fan in the world would associate the name Sanchez with “bust”. He isn’t that bad, but anyone thinking he is good says it because he wears green. The stopgaps are Jason Campbell and Kyle Orton. Best case might be Matt Hasselbeck , who is basically in the same spot Chad Pennington was in 2006 and could be set free. The third option is to look young either in the draft or maybe to sign a young backup like the kid in Green Bay and hand him the job. In the draft Sanchez probably plays for the year, and the best case is Brees/Phillip Rivers. A young player like Flynn would be handed the job. Im not sure I like that option as these players tend to be way overpaid for what you actually get, such as Kevin Kolb in Arizona this year, but this gives the team at least an opportunity of having a longer term solution. The final option is just coming back with Sanchez and hoping he improves. It can happen, but I find it hard to believe that the Jets have the faith in him to do that now.
This was likely RT Wayne Hunter’s final game. They had a shot of him at the end of the game on the sidelines where he looked like that was the thought going through his head. He was terrible this season and may find his way out of the NFL. D’Brickashaw Ferguson was beat a few times on the day and had a bad year despite the Pro Bowl berth. Too many breakdowns from him this season and that cant happen with a guy who is an elite talent. RG Brandon Moore could find a new home or be extended next year. He is in his 30’s and pretty low cost, but could provide some salary cap relief with either option. The Jets are going to have to look at a new guard for one of the positions and definitely a new tackle to replace Hunter. The Jets need more productivity to get a better ground game going.
The final game for a legend took place today and RB LaDainian Tomlinson was one of the few who played like he really wanted to win. It is a shame he had to end it as part of a circus at the end of the season, but they can not bring back such an old set of legs next year even if he is more productive than other options. RB Shonn Greene can’t be next seasons starter. He just can’t be. There is nothing there. He is a fine second option, but he is not a number 1 option. The Jets need a home run hitter that can catch the football. Greene will never be that player.
WR Jeremy Kerley was another bright spot on the day. He made some great grabs and hopefully can nail down that 3rd WR role for the team. He has exceeded my expectations. WR Plaxico Burress, if he is happy here, should come back. He gives the Jets something because of the physical mismatches. Even if it is just as a redzone target he is worth keeping unless he is part of some locker room mutiny. The Jets have a decision to make about TE Dustin Keller. He is going to earn a big raise in 2012 of about $3 million that is made to make the Jets extend him, but Im not sure if that is wise right now. He is very inconsistent. None of it matters unless they get better QB play.
Defense
21 plays. Multiple 3rd down conversion. 95 yards. Matt Moore, Donald Thomas, Brian Hartline, Davone Bess and Steve Slaton. If you needed anymore evidence that this is not a dominant defense look no further than that. I have been amazed at the amount of people who have clung onto this defense as being something special. It wasn’t last year and it clearly was not this year. They didn’t allow a large number of yards but when they had to make plays they could not do it. It is why they lost in Denver. Why they lost against Oakland. Why they lost against the Giants. It’s a big reason why they lost today. The defense is getting older and just going to get worse over time. They have to make changes.
The tackling on the team has been bad this year. S Eric Smith got run over once and he will likely be gone unless the Jets feel there is no better option. LB Bart Scott looks terrible. Hopefully the long offseason, his first in many years, has him ready for 2012 because they can not move him. LB Calvin Pace faded terribly at the end of the year. The depth is terrible on the team, specifically in the secondary.
This season illustrates the concerns I had with the way the Jets invested in this defense. They have big money invested in CB Darrelle Revis. They have a pretty good chunk of change invested in CB Antonio Cromartie. They wasted a first round draft pick on CB Kyle Wilson who simply can’t play. His decision to play about 8 yards off Bess on a 3rd and 4 inside the 10 just defied logic. But when you cant rush the QB high investments in the outside mean nothing. It is why when the hypothetical question comes up about trading Revis for a guy like Manning or Andrew Luck I never hesitate. The Jets are 8-8 with Revis and on the outside looking in. What would they be without him? 6-10 and on the outside looking in. Where would they be will Manning and no Revis? 13-3. It’s no comparison.
People like to Sanders. The 49ers were a great team before Sanders and he got a lot of credit for being the team that put them over the hump. Dallas threw for nearly 400 yards in that championship game they just dug too big of a hole to come out of. He was said to shift the balance of power for Dallas the following year. People forget they won 2 SBs right before him and the Cowboys fell apart after he got a big deal. All this money in corners is not a winning formula long term. Not sure what they can do to get out of it, and Im not suggesting they should not have re-signed Revis (Cromartie is a different story), but it really is too much.
The Jets drafts have been bad defensively and they have to hope Muhammad Wilkerson becomes something. All things considered I think he had a very good rookie year so hopefully he has broken the streak. He is already more productive than Wilson and Vernon Gholston combined, but still has a ways to go. Teams can run around him but that is part of the learning curve. The Jets will hope DT Kenrick Ellis can be a big player next season and get into the rotation. NT Sione Pouha is a free agent and may not be back next year. The team is already soft up the middle and they need Ellis to step his game up. Maybe the Jets uncovered something in Aaron Maybin. He is also a free agent but the Jets control his rights next year. Hopefully they get a deal done quickly and get him in their offseason program. If they can coach him up and get him to play in more than just obvious passing downs they may have a real game wrecker, something the defense totally misses.
I think the Jets need to be very active in addressing the defense. It has gone from great to good to average in the last three years. Coaches can only do so much and Rex has done all he can with this group. If the Jets have 7 draft picks they should use at least 5 of them on defense. Maybe 6. Unless they can grab an explosive runner or are trading picks for Brees or Manning they should just avoid any high picks on offense. The offense more or less is what it is. The defense can get better or it can get far worse if they go back with the same players yet again next season, Sanchez and the lack of offense will get all the offseason media attention, but the defense is where the Jets need to be focusing hard.
Special Teams
Specials seemed to tail off at the end of the season, which hurt the team. Injuries may have had something to do with that but I feel that it has happened a few times over the last few seasons. Maybe teams just don’t respect the offense and scheme specials better. Cromartie came out of nowhere late last year and maybe caught teams off guard. Still they are better than most in the return game which is all on the coaching. They probably should get a new Kicker and Punter next season.
Coaching
A bad season for Rex Ryan. He was definitely frustrated after the game because in his heart I think he believed his team was going to find a way to sneak into the playoffs, but they did not deserve it this season. Ryan has been a pretty good postseason coach pulling off upsets against the Patriots, Chargers, and Colts the last two years, but his regular season resume is not good. 9-7, 11-5, 8-8. Its not much better than Eric Mangini or Herman Edwards. I’m not implying that he is the same as them, they didn’t belong in the head coaching jobs, but just pointing out the results. If Jim Caldwell does not pull out Peyton Manning in 2009 we might be having a discussion right now about Rex Ryan being back here in 2012. Rex’s style works in spurts, but he needs to find a way to make it work for 17 weeks. There is room for improvement as long as you don’t get blinded by the 2 AFC Title opportunities.
Ryan needs to get tougher with some of these players. Nobody is held accountable publically and everyone is greater than great. You can’t do that at 8-8. Players make mistakes, but those who make them over and over take advantage of a situation with a very nice head coach. Holmes, Sanchez, Hunter, Smith, Scott, and Greene all deserved to be called on the carpet this year. Other than a few subtle jabs at Sanchez they are constantly praised and hyped by the head coach. When the same errors and poor play continue you have to change your ways. Maybe the style works with some players, and Greene did play better as the year went on and Scott may just be old, but the mark of a good leader is learning that different people respond to different techniques. Throwing a “C” on everyones chest and saying I believe in all my guys doesn’t mean leadership.
It is time for the head coach to take a bigger role in the offense. I didn’t hear if he said he pulled Holmes out or not, but it reminded me of when Greene was pulled last year and Rex said he didn’t realize it. On gameday he just sees detached from it other than cursing when they do poorly or pumping his fist when they do well. I understand he has the whole game to be worrying about, but he rarely even talks to these guys when they come off. He does not have to be Bill Parcells screaming at him when he comes off the field, but you just want to see some interaction.
Rex has a lot of internal problems to fix this offseason. The Holmes/Sanchez/Schottenheimer rift is gigantic. There is about to be an offense/defense rift and there are going to be players taking sides between Holmes and the others. The Jets were not a cohesive team in 2011. They were not a cohesive team today. One unit plays well one week and then is bad the next. One week they pass defense is superb but the run defense is awful. One week the Jets score 28 and the next they cant muster 13.
The overconfidence in the team has to stop. About half of the teams losses in Ryans time have been against teams 0.500 or below. I think this year was an aberration in that they could not beat any good teams, but too often they are losing games they are expected to win. Teams winning divisions have one or at the most two of those hiccups a year. The Jets have three or four. Its too many and I have to believe a lot of it is the team thinking it can do no wrong. There are also some guys that seem to be tuning him out as evidenced by comments off the Giants game. Rex can’t survive if that happens. Rex’s dad was not a successful head coach playing the braggart. Rex is a better head coach than Buddy and has had far more postseason success, but that postseason success means nothing when you don’t get there.
Overall
Certainly a disappointing season for the Jets, but after two great years where we had deep playoff runs it is not the same empty feeling so many of our other disappointing years have been. Back in 2008 when the Jets began loading up via free agency I made the comment that the Jets were preparing for a three year run with the hope to extend that window with good drafts. So it is not really surprising that what happened this year happened. Now its time for the team to get back in their war room and start improving the talent level to open a new window. It does not take long in the NFL to become a playoff team and there is no reason to think the Jets can not be one next season with a few moves here and there.
I still think there is a good base here. Rex is just about there as a coach. He’s not at the top level but he’s better than the middle rung. He’s already achieved playoff success that most takes years to achieve. They have a building block LT. They have some solid players on the defensive line. They have the best CB in the NFL. They lack speed as a team, and that has to be addressed, but the Jets don’t have far to go to be a playoff team again. If they can find a good QB or Sanchez becomes one they can bea Super Bowl contender again.
Off the field the Jets need to address consistency. The offense is very inconsistent game to game and even within a game itself. For some reason the offense and defense rarely seem to play well in the same games. That’s preparation and in game management. Again it boils down to maybe pushing the buttons of different players by different means. But it’s too many wasted efforts by both units. I’d rather the Jets get blown out by 20 against the Broncos than lose by 4 there and see the defense collapse against the Raiders. The Jets are just all over the place with their outputs. They do well enough to where you know talent is there, but winning teams are much more consistent in their outputs. With the Jets you never know. Will they give up 10 or 30? Will they score 10 or 30? It makes planning very difficult and the Jets don’t adjust to circumstances too well in a game.
This is going to seem like a long offseason and the middle of the draft is no mans land for dreaming of big prospects but I think it’s the little moves that are going to make this team a winner or loser next year more than the big splashes, unless of course we are talking about a Manning type. I might be more interested in the Jets signing 3 guys making around $5 million a year than 1 guy making $13 million. Courting the Asomugha types of the world is going to set the Jets backwards and undo whatever they built these last few years. Multiple pretty solid contributors is going to make them a contender again.
And to my readers thanks for continuing to visit the site and check out some of the things I do here. I know I had to scale back a bit this season and may have to do the same next year, but I enjoy the interaction with everyone and chance to vent and sometimes debate about the team. I’ll be doing predictions during the playoffs and plan on doing an efficiency rating for all SB teams during the championship week, but I’ll probably be moving towards contract stuff for the next few months for the Jets and some other squads. If there are any players you are interested in just let me know and I’ll see if I can dig up anything on them and what they may cost. Off the top of my head Keller is our only real extension possibility. So the updates won’t be as frequent, but if you check things out once very other week youll probably find some articles on the site. I’ll be active on Twitter as well so if you aren’t following me and want updates of new posts just follow me there or subscribe to the RSS feed.
So thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the season even if the results were not there from the team. As always Go Jets!
there will be accountability this offseason. Gone - Shotty, Hunter, Smith, Mulligan... and I'd bet a bunch more. better to let them go a year early than next year when it will be a year too late...
I've been a sanchez supporter, and the pressure was extreme today. the ends were always in the backfield, forcing Sanchez to move... the recievers never had separation... but those mistakes today, were horrific... reminded me of some of the pre-season loser QB's we played against. he was totally rattled.
Agree 100% to focus on the defense next season. Safety's, LB's and Pouha... will remake the D. I like wilkerson, dixon, ellis from what i've seen in addition to the guys you mentioned.
Offense - RT, RB... Minus Shotty and hope for the best. One more chance for Sanchez and holmes... trading holmes would also send a message. who would have thought we would miss herm's playcalling... LOL!
Too bad the season ended so early. thanks for your efforts this year. RE: Next Year... Can't Wait.
As always it's a great read. I've found it frustrating to look at the sidelines during games and not see coaching. In particular, Sanchez has a lot to learn and can be getting some of that in-game. Today's demeanor might partly be due to Holmes' affecting the attitude of everyone.
Getting Mark in sync with receivers via some form of continuity would be good. Do you have any opinion of the possibility of trading Holmes for whatever we can get, then re-signing Burress and targeting Braylon Edwards? Or what do you think our approach will/should be at the WR position?
I think Rex deserves a lot of credit with the defense. A lot of the defense's struggles can be related to the offense's struggles. If you give up 19 points and 9 are off turnovers you should win the game. In today's NFL I don't really see anyone putting up 60 minutes of shutdown football on defense. The defense did enough to win the Denver, NYG, and today's game. The offense never does enough to pick up the defense when they have an off game. We have average talent on defense, and I think Rex is so tactically good that if we had above-average talent at more positions we'd be truly fearsome.
Thanks for another great season of reads. Looking forward to hopefully some upgrades this offseason!
1. Thank you for all you analysis during the season, it really helped me to understand a lot about football and the Jets.
2. I agree with pretty much all you wrote
3. Should the Jets pursue the Green Bay backup QB Flynn who is now a free agent? I say Yes because it probably wont cost that much ( I assume). I think Sanchez has limited upside and even if he improves, he will never become a good QB. Not like cutting Drew Brees only to have him become a monster 2 years later. Sanchez is no Drew Brees.
I am really fed up with Sanchez. His bone headed interceptions cost the game. He is inaccurare on short and medium range passes. I'm not talking about a 30 yard pass being under thrown, he constantly throws behind the runner on 7 yard passes.
Sanchez stinks.
4. Fire Shottenheimer and get Norv Turner. He can't be much worse, and can be a lot better. In fact, he might get something out of Sanchez. Or maybe Flynn from Green bay.
5. Holmes is an as*h**e. He got paid, so even if he is less than thrilled with Sanchez, shut the %^&* up. If I could 200K, I would be more than happy to suck up all the crap I have to put up with at work. At 9MM a year, I'd be all smiles working in the worst office job in the world.
6. The Jets badly need a talent upgrade. Their # 1 priority is Right Tackle, then cover safety, then more defensive players. I still think Cromartie is way over paid, and he is sucking up cap space. He is average, put paid as a star. He was ok today, but still nothing special.
7. The Jets draft picks are pretty bad recently. They need to address Front Office issues - talent evaluation. This is the #1 issue, you can't win with mediocre players and no draft picks.
The only thing I disagree with you is I think Rex is a good coach, though he needs to shut up in public. Rex makes mistakes, and the Jets need to get a coaching consultant to go over them with him, to help him learn from his mistakes.
Maybe Norv Turner can help him do that, as well as be OC
Fitz- Thanks for reading. Id probably stay away from Braylon even though I like him (hes still on my banner!). I dislike the idea of chasing guys you moved on from. I hated the return of Coles for the same reason....Id resign Burress on a 2 year deal if he is agreeable and probably retain Holmes. Holmes has too much talent to give up on. Jets need a deep threat or need to let Holmes be a deep threat. He is not a possession guy...Jets are different than other team in regards to the play style. The defense first is a real throwback. Not sure if it can win in todays NFL to be honest, but until they get better QB play they dont have a choice.
BC- Thanks for reading. I dont think Schotty is all that is wrong with Sanchez. He will probably get a chance with a new guy next year but he needs to work harder to make that pay off. He just seems so aloof...Eric Smith is tough to watch. When they replayed the Cruz TD tonight during the Giants game and I watched him run he doesnt even run like a DB. He looks like an older LB when running...Pouhas is an interesting case. Jets were not proactive which tells me they are going to let the market dictate his price. His age should scare them. I have a feeling that they are in a mode where they will match offers up to three years at a reasonable cost, but will balk at 4 year deals or very high 3 year deals.
In your opinion would the Jets have the cap space to sign someone like Marshawn Lynch or Vincent Jackson? Obviously they must address the OL first but a backfield of Lynch, Greene, and McKnight would be exactly what Sanchez needs. Naturally they'd be able to then let Greene go following his rookie contract. If they go after Norv Turner a 3 WR set of Jackson, Holmes and Kerley with Norv's brain could help revive the passing game. Although again I wouldn't want to tie up huge money in the WR spot given that holmes already has 45m. Regarding the draft, with the 16th pick I think there is a great chance Safety Mark Barron from Bama is available. If so that's probably a no brainer. Great size, good speed, ball hawk mentality and a fantastic college program. Watch him on 1/9. On the FA front Laron Landry could be available. I'm really high on Goldson from SF who I believe is going to be a free agent also. I think Kyle Orton must be considered to backup Sanchez and get the nod if Sanchez sucks the first quarter of next year. I'm baffled at how the team can address the LB core for next year and even how they can prioritize the above needs. I think Pace, Scott, Thomas all should be gone. Too old, too slow, no impact on the field. I think the goal of the team should be 2014 in MetLife Stadium. That's going to require major changes via free agency, very strong drafts, and a team with great chemistry. Looking forward to the off-season!
Steve
Speed kills. We need at least one starting safety, and a two LB's desperately. We also need a homerun hitter on offense, McKnight is not that player right now.
Again, just a general idea of which players you think the Jets will go after this offseason to shore up the team.
Thanks as always for these articles, Jason.
Zack- Oh Ill probably do a free agency article at some point. My guess is they wont spend big and will look at a tier 3 QB (Campbell) for something like 4 million or so and maybe a veteran safety and right tackle. Draft? Im not up on the guys but I have to think its all defense but with a best available player approach in round 1 if a RB is on the board. Id be stunned if the Jets do not draft an ILB, OLB, and S in the draft.
1) I go with the "stopgap QB" option. The Jets have invested alot in Sanchez...they traded up for him and he has a big contract. You cannot give up on him after 3 years, which is what you'd be doing if you signed Brees or traded for Peyton. Brees is not leaving NO and he'd be crazy to. His offense is loaded, he plays indoors, and he has a brilliant offensive mind in Payton running things..he can keep putting up 5,000 yard 40+ TD seasons and cement himself as a HOF'er. Trading for Peyton? You would probably gut the 2012 draft, probably put a big dent on the 2013 draft and maybe even affect the 2014 draft. Peyton also makes a ton of money. The Jets are much more then needing one player to put us over the top. Lets also remember that Peyton is 35, coming off neck surgery so he has questions revolving around him. Sign a stopgap like a Jason Campbell type (who btw was playing very well in Oakland before his injury). Someone who can truly threaten Sanchez and give him a wakeup call. Giving an ancient Brunell a few snaps in practice does nothing, Sanchez knows he is no threat. Maybe signing a legit veteran who can start will make Sanchez re-evaluate himself.
2) I also want to see what Sanchez can do with another OC. Turner, McDaniels, whoever. Schott's offense is brutal. Too predictable and no creativity. Sanchez deserves to work with an OC who has a clue, and maybe bring in a legit QB coach as well.
3) The misusage of Holmes is borderline criminal. I am not defending his behavior today. In fact, make a statement and strip him of the C. But this is a guy who has big play ability, yet the Jets dont use him like that. They treat him like he's a possession WR instead of a game breaker ala Wesley Walker. I have to believe another OC will use him correctly.
4) How about finding a big-time RB? Trading up for Trent Richardson? Isnt Ray Rice a FA? If you rebuild the defense, find a big time RB, then you can turn Sanchez into Alex Smith i.e just dont make mistakes, and make the simple play. SF won 13 games this way. Greene is NOT the answer, he is not a #1 RB IMO. Jets need to find one and that will take pressure off the QB.
4) Improvements are needed in many areas. OL--Hunter has to go for sure. TE--I'd let Keller go if he asks for too much. WR--I'm ok with the same group. Maybe Kerley steps up next year. I stated my opinion on the RB situation above--you DEFINETLY need to find a game changer at RB. Defense needs help at safety (need speed and players that can run around a bit and make plays), LB (again...more speed...bye bye Scott) and you need PASS RUSHERS. Definetly on that d-line. The Jets need to find a JPP/Tuck/Osi type pass rusher, at least one if not two.
On the offense, their main issue starts with the Offensive Coordinator for the same reasons you mentioned. From the postgame interview, is obvious that Mark was told under no circumstance allow yourself to be sacked, which is not a good strategy to begin with, and that's exactly how they lost the game. Under this type of pressure, you simply don't think and analyze like you do after a game. You simply go automatic based on what you practiced.
In the few camera shots from behind Mark, you could see that rarely did he have anything to throw the ball to. The WR were not putting in enough separation. Holmes might be a good WR, but you have to be part of the team and work with everyone else, otherwise nothing happens.
For me, a big item for next season is rebuilding the offensive line. If the offensive line does not hold most of the time, the QB does not have a chance. If you look at the best QBs in the league, those are the ones that have a lot of support. Brees, for example, with the current Jets offensive line would be a completely different QB. Oh, and BTW, Brees sucked in comparison during his first few years in the NFL.