After a horrendous loss to the Patriots last week, NY Jets fans, players and coaches thought things wouldn't get any worse this week against the Miami Dolphins. In fact, everyone thought the game with Miami would be a statement game. That the Jets would "bounce" back from such a defeat and put it all behind them. They all thought wrong! Yesterday, NY buried themselves next to the Patriots game ball, with another ugly loss to a Division rival. The Jets beat themselves every opportunity they got against the Dolphins. With dropped passes, fumbles, interceptions, missed assignments and a general loss of identity, Gang Green moved themselves further away from playing meaningful games in January. There are so many to blame for the loss. Starting with the coaches. Offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer's play calling yesterday was terrible. He should have went back to the old "ground and pound" game that Rex Ryan loves so much, so that Mark Sanchez could get some spacing with the Play-action calls. Instead, Schottenheimer abandoned the run mostly and had Sanchez throwing like they were down 21 points. The truth is that the defense gave the offense plenty of chances to win, only allowing 10 points. The reality is those 10 points came after crucial turnovers by the offense in Miami's side of the field. The Jets defense kept Chad Henne at bay, giving up a paltry 55 yards passing and the only action that star wide out, Brandon Marshall, saw was his 5 yard TD catch. Basically the Dolphins were begging the Jets to beat them. The Jets however, were unable to recognize the situation they had in front of them and WOULD not capitalize on anything.
Some focal points of the blame:
Aforementioned, Brian Schottenheimer: the play calling didn't do anything for Mark Sanchez's confidence nor did it help him get any momentum going. Shonne Green should have been used much more often, to soften up Miami's defensive line. Then mixing in LT, with some play action passing, should have given the offense some time to make plays.
Offensive Line: This part of the Jets has been the most consistently strong group, that has never really faltered when the big plays were needed. In the past two games they have left Sanchez out there to dry and have given in to the pressure, forcing Sanchez to throw picks, take sacks and cough the ball up. Damien Woody's injury is so crucial, because his back up (Wayne Hunter), the "best back up tackle in football" according to Rex, couldn't block anything. The offensive unit needs to be more prepared, especially with the Pittsburgh "D" lurking next Sunday.
Receivers: The wide receivers for the NY Jets didn't get a lot of opportunities for big plays yesterday, but when they had the ball between the numbers when it counted, they dropped it. The dropped passes happen all the time, but when nothing is working for the offense and one catch makes a difference, those mistakes are highlighted.
Mark Sanchez: HE is the face of the NY Jets. He has to get the support that he needs to stay confident and press on. When Rex Ryan goes on the air after the game and admits to the press that he had considered pulling the kid out during the Miami game yesterday, what does he think will happen to Sanchez's confidence? What good came out of him saying that? Does Rex all of a sudden believe that Sanchez is not the "guy" for the job anymore? Or is Rex trying to put himself in the spotlight? Whatever the reason was for him blabbing that to the press, it's uncalled for. You have to support a sophomore QB that is struggling, even if Rex wanted to pull him, don't say it publicly to the NY media. Unfortunately, Sanchez has struggled so much that he probably should have been pulled to shake him up a bit. Maybe. Sanchez still needs to recognize the defensive schemes and pressure that he is facing and take better care of the ball. He is forcing passes that all could have been or were intercepted. With the help of his coaches, he needs to dial back the plays and return to a more conventional offense, run, run and play action. They have great, veteran receivers and a good running game, that need to be utilized more efficiently. When Sanchez gets some spacing and can drop back and survey the field, he is pretty good. The running game will help support that.
Rex Ryan: This guy is great. He is a huge personality. He is a very smart, defensive coach. He gets his players to believe in him and buy into what he is preaching. Sometimes, he is too much. Maybe, he will spend a little less time this week entertaining the media and more time dissecting the play calling and mistakes from the past games. One of the reasons Belichick is so successful, is that during the season, he doesn't leave much time for goofing around and "relaxing". He leaves that for the off-season. If Rex can attend to business for his team's sake, then maybe they will be more prepared for Pittsburgh.
The Media talk about "panic mode" a lot when teams lose a couple of ugly games. The Jets need to be aware, not panicked, about their situation. They have 3 more games, 2 of them are away at dreadful weather stadiums, against top ranked defenses. If the Jets are not aware of their upcoming schedule and don't make it point to fix the mistakes they have continually made, then a 9-7 record won't do anything except be above .500. Watch the films of the New England wins against Pittsburgh and Chicago and learn about what worked and what didn't. Sanchez is no Brady, but the Jets as a team can compete with the Bears and Steelers. If they can learn anything from New England's wins, maybe the ship can be turned around.
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