Friday Morning Quarterback: Jets vs. Eagles Edition

Aug 30, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan along the sidelines during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The final preseason game of 2012 is in the books. Thus, here we are with the final Morning Quarterback edition for the preseason. It’s a bittersweet day around the NFL, as today is cut down day. Every team has to be down to the 53 man limit by 9 PM tonight, so for a lot of guys, last night was their final time playing in the NFL for their current teams. For some, this was an audition for other teams, and for others, it’s the last time they play in a game until next year, if at all.

That being said, we will move to the recap. There aren’t a ton of topics to go over, since it all involves backups, but here are a few things we saw.

Hallelujah! We made it to the endzone! That’s right. Greg McElroy hit Terrance Ganaway for the Jets first touchdown of the preseason. Not that the results of the preseason mean very much, but there is no question that finally getting to the endzone is a confidence builder for these offensive players. Some will be with them in Buffalo, so the confidence boost doesn’t hurt.

Another terrific game was played by Quinton Coples. He finished the game last night with 3.5 tackles and 1.5 sacks. When you watch this guy, you see him all over the field. Every day, Coples is showing the doubters how good he really is. He plays with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, thanks to the critics. That chip will serve Quinton, and the Jets, quite will in 2012.

At a position that the Jets are very deep at, linebacker Garrett McIntyre made his case to be part of that depth chart, loud and clear last night. He too was all over the field, with a game high 7 tackles. The Jets are deep at the linebacker position, but McIntyre made a strong statement. With only 3 tackles, Jay Richardson didn’t stick out when reading the box score. He did stick out watching the game, as he was getting good penetration on many plays. He should make this team too.

With three tackles, Jay Richardson didn’t stand out in the box score, but he stood out on the field. He got good penetration on many occasions. Although the defensive line talent on the Jets is deep, Richardson made a good case last night, as he has done for the entire preseason.

Two guys that stood out on the offensive side of the football were Eron Riley and Terrance Ganaway. Ganaway not so much with running the football, which we will talk about in a minute. Both of these guys had strong games catching the football, with 4 receptions each, and Ganaway recording the touchdown. Wide receiver is a position where the Jets are lacking proven playmakers, so any help they can get, they will take.

There is no way that Matt Simms makes this team. It really isn’t fair, as he didn’t get a chance to show what he can do. A quarter and a half is really not enough time to get in rhythm to show what you are really about. Maybe, Simms showed enough to make the practice squad, but clearly, he was outplayed by Greg McElroy. McElroy will be the third string quarterback, and he looked good throwing the football and scrambling for positive yardage.

The running game did not impress, and hasn’t for the entire preseason. The stats are deceptive, as the Jets averaged 4.0 yards per carry for the game. Joe McKnight and Bilal Powell showed flashes on the ground, but it wasn’t consistent. You never got the feeling that the Jets were winning the battle up front in the running game. They didn’t seem to be driving anybody off the football all night, and the Jets will have to get that going in order to get the Ground and Pound to be effective.

Jason Smith help up well in his debut, but the offensive line did not protect the passer well, allowing 6 sacks.

That’s it for the preseason games. We will track the roster moves and post them as they become available, and have all things Jets covered for you leading up to game 1, as always.