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| Dwayne Smith. 8th November, 2009 - 5:39 pm
 As the New York Jets enjoy their bye week, they find themselves at the midway point of a season and a crossroads. They have played eight games and have as many positives, as they have negatives. New York has won four games and also lost four. They have the top ranked rushing offense in the NFL, which goes along with the second ranked defense. This goes hand in hand with what was expected when head coach Rex Ryan took control of the Jets. New York also has the distinction of holding Matt Schaub, Tom Brady and Drew Brees well below their average performances this season.
On the other side of the coin are games in which mistakes have cost victories. Against the New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills, quarterback Mark Sanchez cost the team by committing several turnovers. In their loss at Miami, the Jets had no answer for the Wildcat on defense and allowed big third down plays by QB Chad Henne and then in the home trip, the Jets shut down the Wildcat and controlled Henne, but turned the ball over and had two special teams meltdowns which handed victory to Miami.
What comes from this is an inconsistent team that is playing exactly to their record of 4-4. They?re not as good as the 3-0 start would indicate but certainly not as bad as many fans fear during their 1-4 stretch. Make no mistake, this is an average team right now but one that has the talent to be better and only needs to execute better. As it is harder to gather talent than improve play, this is great news for the Jets. Realistically, a competitive AFC, led by the tough North Division, makes a playoff run difficult but not improbable.
Focusing on the most recent loss to the Miami Dolphins, one can find the entire story of what makes the Jets strong, while exposing team weakness. On the plus side, New York corrected the embarrassment of being dominated by a pedestrian Dolphins offense. Miami gained 413 total yards on offense on Monday Night Football in Miami, at Giants Stadium they were held to 104. New York?s run game gained 127 yards, led by running back Thomas Jones who gained 100 yards for the third straight game with 102. Sanchez also had an improved effort with a 265-yard performance and two touchdowns in the air and another one on the ground.
With a 378 to 104 total yard advantage, along with a nearly 10 minute time of possession advantage, the 30-25 loss does not add up. In this case, it draws attention to the lone weakness of New York, whereas in their losses the problem seems to be uneven execution in all three phases. This week, the special teams, a noted team strength, was the primary reason for defeat and a mediocre, 4-4 record going into the bye. Bad angles on one Ted Ginn Jr return, followed by an inability to close out tackles led to negating two Jets scoring plays and bailing out a Miami offense that was handled and shut down by the Jets.
From this game and the first half of the season, this is what we have learned about the 2009 New York Jets:
1. The Jets have successfully established their new identity as a smash mouth offense with an elite defense.
With the number one rushing offense and number two defense in the NFL, ?Jet Football? as defined by Ryan has been successfully established in half a season. Only time will tell the impact of losing RB Leon Washington and DT Kris Jenkins will have on both.
2. As expected, QB Mark Sanchez has been inconsistent.
The risks of starting a rookie at the most important position on an offense are numerous. Whether it was the impact of the success of Atlanta QB Matt Ryan and Baltimore QB Joe Flaaco or the fact that Sanchez came from a pro style collegiate program, fans seem very concerned that Sanchez? penchant for turnovers has been high. The bad news is that Sanchez has 10 interceptions to 8 touchdown passes thus far. The good news is 8 of those were in two games. Fact is, the learning curve of the Jets franchise QB has been as expected and in critical games against the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins he did not throw a single interception. Bottom line is, the future is still bright with Sanchez, just don?t expect a Pro Bowl? this year.
3. Even at 4-4, the Jets continue to carry themselves with an unapologetic swagger.
While many found the Jets to be poor sports in continuing to bash a team that swept them this season, this is yet another symbol of the change in culture with the Jets and frankly, that?s not such a bad thing. For too long, the Jets have been playing low key as a team and scheming for the team they are playing. Ryan said from day one, it?s not about the other team; it?s about how the Jets play. This is a big part of why New York did not accept the fact that the Dolphins beat them, in their minds as a team the Jets lost more so than Miami won. This proactive approach will be vital to the continued development of this team, as they know that all they need to do is improve execution. The belief in the system has already been established.
4. On defense, new stars have been created and there is extraordinary depth.
After Jenkins suffered his season ending injury, many questions arose about the team?s ability to continue it?s superior defensive play. Shutting down the Dolphins attack that embarrassed them in Miami, showed the system works and the depth behind Jenkins is strong. The Jets frequently use a multitude of players on defense and while LB David Harris, LB Bart Scott, DE Shaun Ellis, FS Kerry Rhodes and CB Darrelle Revis have established themselves as stars, the supporting cast has been key in the success of this defensive unit.
5. There is no way to replace all the things that RB Leon Washington can do.
Despite continuing to run the ball well against Oakland and Miami, time will tell how big the impact of losing Washington is. RB Shonn Greene had an outstanding game against the Oakland Raiders, but he is a hard-nosed runner, not the versatile player Washington is. The Jets version of the wildcat, the Seminole was put in place to exploit the strengths of Washington and the Jets also lose a Pro Bowl kick returner of which there is no adequate replacement on the Jets. This one may be the biggest loss of all. |
