New York Jets; Yay or Nay

Sunday with a Shmuck

Week 6 was a perfect example of why I want the NFL package when I get my own place. Four games were decided in the final seconds of their regulation. And what was so great about it was that every team you were rooting for to lose, did. Devo and I attended a local sports bar in the dirty Jerz watching these fangasmic finishes (yea, sometimes the Jets are boring to watch) and it entertaining to say the least. When St. Louis kicked the game winning field goal the place erupted, and the small group of Redskin fans, who were loud, obnoxious but very amusing during the whole game, were then dead silent.

Immediately following that game, the TV’s changed over to the Falcons/Bears game and personally, I can’t stand Da Bears. When they hell are they going to get a F*cking quarterback?!?! I thought Matt Millen was bad; whoever is running the Bears organization isn’t much better. Your #1 WR is Marty Booker and you made no attempt to upgrade the quarterback position during the offseason or the draft. I’m glad they lost. Matt Ryan has a bright future in the NFL and is arguably the rookie of the year.

Hopefully, someone will figure out how to stop the Wildcat offense the Dolphins are so effectively exhibiting. I have a gut feeling the whole Chad Pennington blunder is going to bite the Jets in the ass too. It would be sweet redemption for CP if he can knock the Jets out of playoff contention the last game of the season at the Meadowlands (Jet fans nightmare).

A Tribute to History

The Jets are really beating to death wearing the throwback Jerseys. Ok, once a season is appropriate, but not 2 weeks in a row. Seriously, if they’re going too consistently wear throwbacks at least go back and use the 70’s and early 80’s uniforms, when the Jets were kind of good. There is already a “Big Blue” in New York and last I checked they’re a much better team than these Blue & Gold tools.

Was There Ever a Doubt?

“There’s no such thing as an ugly win. A win’s a win,” Brett Favre stated to the media during his postgame conference. After this wild Week 6, I would have to agree. Typically you’d think that a team coming off a bye, playing against a winless team would have all the upside going into that game. This is never true, there is no such thing as an easy game in the NFL (unless you’re the 2007 18-1 Masshole Patriots ).

The Jets didn’t look overly aggressive vs. the Bengals as they did against the Cardinals and after the first drive I was very worrisome that this game was going to be a disaster. A reason for this could be that Carson Palmer was out for the game and the inexperienced Ryan Fitzpatrick was starting in his place, a huge blessing for Gang Green.
The early fumble by Favre looked like a desolating upset was in the works (But I’m sure the same was said for the Jets/Chargers game when David Barrett picked off Rivers for a touchdown on their opening drive and the result of that game was atrocious).
The Jets then responded with a nice long-drive to tie the game. Most impressive has been the Jets run defense. Chris Perry and Cedric Benson combined had 20 carries for 15 yards. They didn’t give up any big plays either. Calvin Pace has certainly earned his money. The man is everywhere on the field, sideline to sideline and in the backfield applying pressure.

Leon Washington for MVP

If the season ended today, Calvin Pace and Leon Washington should be the MVP’s. Calvin Pace is second on the team in tackles and leads the team with 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles and recoveries. Vernon Ghoulston so far has been a disappointment for the Jets. I sure hope he’s watching Pace on how to play the OLB/DE position as he’s doing a superb job.
When Leon Washington touches the ball I start to get excited. Whether he’s on special teams or comes in on 3rd and longs and passing downs, he has great instincts and is a dangerous weapon on offense. Not bad for a guy criticized for being too small to have such an impact at the NFL level. His stats aren’t eye-popping as most other running backs are in the league. It’s his all-around game that has earned him respect of his players and the starting return-man for the special teams unit. Sunday against the Bengals he provided the Jets with excellent field position and made a few key 3rd and longs for 1st downs. As a fan it was aggravating to see that they only put up 26 pts!

The Future Conan?

Favre has always been a gun-slinger. His overall football ethics are sometimes questionable and can be annoying for many quarterback coaches. He tries to force balls and make plays when he knows he shouldn’t. I won’t argue his integrity or his desire to win but you can’t be turning the ball over in the redzone. Mistakes like his 2 INT’s he threw in the redzone can really hurt your team in the end. If it weren’t for the overall great play of the defense and Carson Palmer not playing, I really think the Jets could have lost this game. The Jets also ran the same plays quite a few times. Maybe that was the gameplan they worked on all week during the bye or maybe they are trying to eliminate some of the plays because Brett “is not a smart man” (in your best Forrest Gump impression).
With all the pressure the front 7 is putting on the quarterback it’s amazing the Jets don’t have as many interceptions. With the exception of the Arizona game, the defense hasn’t forced that many turnovers (0 turnover ratio).
The revamped offensive line is giving Brett a lot of time to throw the ball but the running game hasn’t been vastly improved as one would have hoped. Thomas Jones is averaging 3.8 yards/carry and the Jets rank 27th overall averaging 86 yds/game.
Jets next two opponents are against Oakland and ST.Louis, both clubs who have fired their head coaches and are struggling on both sides of the ball. Favre and company shouldn’t take these games lightly. They need to be aggressive and improve in certain areas if they want to challenge the rest of the AFC elite. As of now I think they’re a few drives too short to make the playoffs. Let’s just hope the Favre magic shows up soon. 6 TD passes in one game, sweet, “a win is a win” comments, admirable, but no playoffs? Then you’re a bum just like the rest of them.