Post Game Thoughts: Jets 24 Raiders 34
Nothing stings more than a beatdown by a team that you know you should beat, and the Jets are leaving Oakland seriously stung and thoroughly embarrassed.
Offense
Everyone is going to harp on Mark Sanchez and his terrible interception deep in Oakland territory in particular, which was an awful decision and throw, but you can not pin the blame on him when there is just nothing in front of him. Yes the offensive line was without C Nick Mangold, but this was becoming a problem before Nick went down. This started last season when RT Damien Woody went down and was replaced by Wayne Hunter. Hunter only seemed like a downgrade in the rushing game, but as teams have gone to work in the offseason on the Jets film they have completely exposed him as a player. RG Brandon Moore has always been a very good player when surrounded by elite talent and an average player when surrounded by poor talent and with C Colin Baxter replacing Mangold and the human turnstile next to him Moore isn’t calming anything down. Basically the Jets have a top level left tackle and 4 guys who got manhandled today. It was brutal to watch. The push the Raiders got in the middle of the line was obscene. It was amazing Sanchez made it out of the game in one piece as he probably got hit 10 times on the day.
That isn’t to say Sanchez was good. They called his number on a few crucial 3rd and 2 plays and he couldn’t hookup with his receivers. Sanchez seemed to get spooked when he took a shot to the face that forced him to wear a visor the rest of the game and he didn’t improve until Oakland started to back off on the pressure midway through the 4th quarter. Too many times he seemed to be throwing too far outside his receivers and a few times maybe rushed the throws before they were ready. The Raiders bottled up WR Santonio Holmes and sat on every route he ran. The Jets wanted to throw these short timing passers and they just couldn’t because the Raiders defense played so well. It got worse when the Jets backup tight ends, who should have benefitted from the coverage dropped touchdowns that were in their hands. The Jets no longer looked at them after that and it was a big factor. They showed no respect for the running game even when the Jets were gaining good yardage on these pitches to the left, but there was just nothing the Jets could do trying to run in the middle of the field. They are going to have to make a decision as to what to do with RB Shonn Greene and his carries. He is a between the tackles runner, but there is no spot to run inside. He had a 15 yard run and the rest of the day averaged 3.1 YPC. That’s not to say that RB LaDainain Tomlinson is a better running option, but he presents much more of a threat in the passing game and the Jets days as a running team are done.
Games like todays show the difference between huge amounts of yards and effective yards. The Jets just stalled too many times. They made it to midfield and completely shut down. They couldn’t convert some very makeable third downs and when you don’t convert in those situations you lose games, especially on the road. The Jets are going to have to rely on taking more chances down the field in the future. They just are not consistent enough to grind out drives without making a mistake. They have big play weapons which was seen with Dustin Keller, Plaxico Burress, and Tomlinson today, but they are going to have to become a big chance offense all game and spread the field if the poor play upfront continues.
Defense
I don’t even know where to begin. This is two of three games where the Jets defense has been lit up and I think now you have to begin to question if the defense is that good. They played well against the Jaguars, but the Jaguars are a high school offense masquerading as an NFL team. Just like against Dallas, the Jets let a team open the game and just go right through them as if they were not even there. They looked like they settled down after that until RB Darren McFadden broke off a big run for a touchdown and then the floodgates opened. McFadden is a tremendous player and the Jets would love to go back into the 2008 NFL draft and have had a chance to select him instead of being stuck with OLB Vernon Gholston, but there was no excuse for what McFadden did today. McFadden lit the Jets up to the tune of 171 yards on the ground. He was far and away the best player on the field today and made the Jets look silly at times. The front 7 was just so bad all game. They could not force McFadden to the sidelines or make him change directions in the backfield and then it just got sad when WR Denarius Moore looked like Barry Sanders juking out LB’s Jamaal Westerman and Bart Scott.
The Jets were certainly not help by the officiating who seemed to just target CB Antonio Cromartie and call him for penalty after penalty after penalty. I think he was flagged 4 times of which maybe 1 was a legitimate call. There are times when I wonder if the league watches a guy the week before and decides he was too physical and then sends out word to have it stopped the following week, because he just seemed to have a huge target on his back and extended too many drives. He ended up with a rib injury at the end of the game. DE Muhammad Wilkerson was also flagged for a brush of Raider QB Jason Cambell. I don’t understand how Sanchez can get jabbed in the eye on a sack and not get a flag, but the Raider QB gets a flag for a light tap on his jersey. That’s not an excuse for the loss, just a strange part of the game. The pass rush was pathetic. Campbell had all day to throw which led to the referees being able to call the penalties.
Outside of superstar cornerback Darrelle Revis the defense was miserable. LB David Harris got a huge contract this offseason and has not lived up to it thus far. To have two of the highest paid inside linebackers in the NFL and get run over like that is a sign of something bad. The lack of speed and athleticism is really noticeable against a runner like McFadden, but luckily there are not a lot of players like McFadden in the NFL. Right now the defense just looks chaotic. Guys running around with seemingly no purpose and a lot of hands on the hips and hands in the air. The Raiders played as an 11 man unit against 11 individual players. This unit is what lost the Jets the game, not the offense. The Jets had a 17-7 lead in the second quarter and everything looked to be under control. The crowd was out of the game and the Raiders were about to break after last weeks collapse, and then the Jets defense just stopped playing letting the Raiders tie the game and then pull away in the second half. The Jets coaching staff needs to do a lot of soul searching on defense because this reminds me of the 2005 team with a lot of bark and no bite that lived off a reputation from 2004 for a few weeks before everyone quickly realized they were just as much of a problem as the offense. Right now this looks to be the weak point of the team and the Jets cant win if the defense is a weak point.
Special Teams
WR Jeremy Kerley finally made his big impact in the return game, with a punt return that should have turned the outcome of the game, if not for a Sanchez interception. He did make a mistake late in letting a ball bounce deep into Jets territory, but you have to expect that from rookies. If Kerley now has the confidence to field punts cleanly and return like this the Jets will have another special teams weapon that they have lacked for some time. Cromartie had a terrible fumble on a play that almost defies explanation other than frustration boiling over. Oakland was trying to bait the Jets into a mistake like that by kicking short line drives and it worked. Cromartie was incredibly frustrated on the prior kickoff when he did not get a chance to field a short one and the Raiders used that to their advantage leading to him running into a football and fumbling. TJ Conley and Nick Folk were both fine, though Folk has one of the weakest kickoffs in the NFL.
Coaching
Expecting the Jets to drive the field at the end of the game for a score, recover an onside kick, and then score again may not be the most realistic scenario, but you have to give the situation a chance to occur. The decision making on the final drive of the game was mind boggling. With the Raiders in a prevent mode going for the touchdown makes sense early in the drive, but once you get to third and goal the team has to throw the ball into the endzone. You can not call a play where there is any option at the 2 yard line. The clock either needs to stop or you need to score. You have to have the FG unit ready to run on the field and kick on 4th down. The Jets went for a touchdown. It made no sense at all. It was as if the Jets were chasing the fact that they had already wasted the time going for a TD so they had to score a TD. It was such a bad decision. I’m sure Rex Ryan will defend it saying he felt confident in his QB and the offense, but it just came off as a team unprepared for the situation.
The Jets had a fine gameplan early on offense but seemed unable to adjust to the changes Oakland made defensively, with Oakland cutting off the outside routes and lanes. The Jets were totally unprepared for Oakland early offensive playcalls and were just physically outmatched by McFadden and the Raider offensive line. The Jets made a few very interesting playcalls opting for passes on third and short and fourth and short that were not converted. Those playcalls are going to come under heavy criticism, but this is how the Jets run the offense. In his third year in the NFL, Sanchez has to know how to run those plays to pick up the first down. The actual decision is no different than what was called in years past so it is really nothing new for the team. The only new aspect is that most should find it more acceptable now because the Jets running game is that bad.
I do think there is a fundamental problem of passing short on 3rd and 2 when you know you are going on 4th down. Even with the bad running game the playcall either has to be run or it has to be playaction deep. There is no reward to running a short little route in that situation on 3rd down. That’s a head coach issue though and he has to communicate to his offensive coordinator that its four down territory.
Overall
No team is going to go 16-0 and there is no reason to overreact to a loss, but it’s the manner in which the Jets played on defense that is worrisome. The Jets should be 1-2 right now because of the defense. They are not playing well right now and its scary because the team has been built on the defense for the last two seasons. If the defense continues to play like this it means the Jets entire philosophy has to change and when you have a defensive minded coach that can be very difficult. From a talent perspective I think its fair to say that the Jets are not filled with big name stars up front. Maybe the lack of an offseason really hurt them, because their value comes from defensive schemes and great conditioning to wear down an offense. DeMarcus Ware can just line up and murder a QB. Mike DeVito and Sione Pouha can not do that. Without the time to practice the schemes or do team run workouts the Jets may end up being affected much more than other squads who had better defenses last season.
On the positive side the Jets continue to put up points on offense despite looking terribly disjointed most of the game. The offense really has a tremendous amount of potential if they can find a way to fix the offensive line. I know I say it every week, but the Jets can not wait much longer to bring in some veterans sitting at home to take a look at. Sanchez is getting killed and it can not hurt to look at another player. There is no upside to Hunter. There is limited upside to Slauson and Baxter. I understand the fear of inserting Vlad Ducasse into the lineup, but there are competent players who are at least worth a look who may be available. At this point a Leonard Davis 10 yard hold is better than a Hunter allowed 10 yard sack. At least Sanchez is not getting hit hard on the hold.
The Jets have to quickly put this one behind them and get ready for a Ravens team, that is far better than the Oakland Raiders and have a homefield that is far more difficult than the Oakland one. The next two weeks are where we really find out just what these Jets are. If they get bombed the next two weeks it is likely going to just be one of those disappointing years where you simply take your lumps and regroup for the next season. If the defense corrects the problems they showed today the Jets can be 4-1 or at worst a very competitive 3-2. If they limp home at 2-3 it may be a struggle to get into the playoffs in a division that suddenly looks like its 3 teams deep. Every team has bad days so hopefully this is just one of those days.
Go Jets!
OK, we knew the O line was lacking going into this game, but where on earth did the defense go to? Given the mindset of the Jets head coach, this is NOT a good sign at all.
I'm predicting a .500 season, and I just want to cry about it. Being a Jets fan since 1968, one would think I'd be used to this emotional roller coaster by now. I rooted for the Jets when they won one game all season, and when they won three games the next season. I watched them lose the AFC Championship game once with Bill Parcells and twice with Rex Ryan.
By now, I should be used to:
"So, who's your team?"
"The NY Jets!"
"Oooooh, Man! You must be a sadist!"
"Naw! Just got suckered by that big mouth Joe Namath when I was a kid, and I'm not a quitter."
I do get the sense that Sanchez is afraid to make a decision, and when he does, it generally seems one step too late; or he decides ahead of time who he is going to throw to and watches that receiver all the way across and down the field. In all fairness to the man, though, it seemed like the wide receivers were covered far better than we had expected from the Raiders. Whenever Sanchez completed a pass to them, it always seemed to be in traffic, and a Raiders defender was hanging on each of them.
I love Rex Ryan, and I was impressed with the way he had remolded the defense for the playoffs last season. I have to believe he will find a way to improve the fuel mileage on an engine firing on only seven cylinders, but I don't see it as enough to win the race.
The joke for many years has been, "You can always tell a Jets fan because he is the only one at the opening day kickoff yelling, "WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR!"
PLEASE, MR. RYAN! DON'T WAIT UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE TO GET HELP FOR THIS TEAM!
AND, GOD? IF THERE WAS ANY WAY YOU COULD MAYBE HELP MR HUNTER, MR MOORE AND MR BAXTER BECOME PRO BOWL PLAYERS....LIKE....RIGHT NOW? I WOULD BE MOST GRATEFUL!
Humbly and eternally a Jets fan. GO JETS!
I kind of feel that is where the Jets are. The head coach believes in running the football and making sure his offense doesnt lose the game. But this Jets team doesnt look like it can win this way. They need the offense to score points and hope that the defense doesn't lose the game. Its a totally different mindset for game planning. You need longer drives and bigger plays to move the field. The 3 and out and punt deal doesnt work when your defense is a problem. You cant play to win 20-14 right now.
As for the WR issue I think the Jets were completely caught off guard when Oakland switched to zone. They dont play that defense and the LBS should be awful in it, but when you catch a team totally unprepared it usually works. The Jets wanted to run these little timing slants and comeback routes to beat the press coverage. Thats basically what they did on the first pass to Plaxico. When the Raiders coverage changed all those open zones were clogged with Raiders. Burress, Holmes, and Mason were all running into walls of defenders. They didnt try to go over the top until the end of the game and at that point it was too late. The Jets are so slow to adjust offensively. Im not sure if thats a Rex thing or a Schotty thing.
A couple of thoughts. First, the overall lack of speed on the defense is the most troubling element of the team's play these first three weeks, especially since it can't really be addressed during the season. I doubt there's a Jet on the entire defense, apart from CBs, that is in the top twenty at his position in 40 speed, except maybe Jimmy Leonhard. IF a runner escapes the front three, it's up to the linebackers and safeties to make a play. Their lack of speed, then, becomes murderous against a fast back or wide receiver. We might have to start moving down the depth chart to find some speed, but then we sacrifice experience in a complicated defense. No easy answer.
As for the offense, Sanchez is under such duress that it's hard to tell if he should be doing better or is doing as well as can be expected. As for coaching, I'm wondering how you can plan an offense without predicting that your line won't hold up to a powerful front four. I loved the game plan in the first twenty minutes, but, as you said, where was the adjustment any idiot would plan for as soon as the Oline's weaknesses were exposed. Also, if you know you have an inexperienced Oline, why not simplify the offense? Run a variety of strategies from the same set where blocking assignments can be rehearsed over and over again at practice? It's worked for the Patriots the last four years. It doesn't seem to hurt their offensive stats that they run that shotgun, single-back set 60% of the time.
Andy
Who knows with the offense. I am finding it so much harder to rate than the last few years simply because the front 5 are so bad. At this point there are plays where the right side of the line just doesnt even know who to pick up and they end up picking up nobody. They had plenty of plays designed to go over a blitz, but the Raiders stopped with the heavy blitzing because of it (plus they realized there is no need to blitz Hunter). It was like the Jets, both the team and coaches, assumed the Raiders would go into a shell at 17-7 and pack it up. I think they were caught napping by McFadden and the Jets were just clueless as to what to do next.
The O line is poor, not protecting Sanchez that well, and not opening holes for the running game. Its not just Shonne Green, the Oline is not good against the run.
As for the defense -
Even if a flag or two were questionable against Cromartie, he played very poorly. Not just the muffed kick off return out of frustration, but 4 penalties is horrible.
Rex, step up and right this ship
On Defense , yes it looks bad at times. Team speed, inability to tackle, particularly open field tackle . . .
Cromartie does seem to be unfairly targeted by the refs. It is easy for fans to take shots at him when he is opposite Revis but for just over half Revis's salary, he does alright.
My biggest criticism is that I believe the front office overrated the ability of the coaching staff (particularly coach Callaghan and coach Ryan) to turn journeymen players into functional pieces of a top rated o line and a top rated defense. No matter how great a coach you if you don't have the talent you are only going to get so far. I think it's also fair to say also that the coaching staff is over confident in it's ability to coach-up marginal players.
Ryan and his staff are great coaches, I firmly believe that. However you need luck on the injury front and you need the right starting-caliber players. You can't have all stars at every position but you need to have at least competent starters at key positions. Vlad Ducasse was picked two rounds too early; he may get there eventually. However we know where the ceiling is on Hunter.
Agreed it is only one game but in all three games they have the appearance of a team that is going to go far.