Monday Morning Quarterback: Week 4 Jets vs. 49ers

Sept. 30, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (6) calls out a play against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half at MetLife Stadium. 49ers won 34-0. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Monday morning quarterback time, Jets fans. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could be coming together under better circumstances this morning? Oh, well. We certainly have a lot to talk about, that’s for sure.

The Jets got out classed in every way possible. The offense got nothing going, at any point. The defense couldn’t stop anybody. The yards after contact were ridiculous. Other than that, it went well. But seriously, let’s get into some specifics, first with the offense.

The Jets had 12 possessions yesterday. Would you like to know how many of them resulted in something other than a three and out or a turnover? ONE! That’s right, one. On the first drive of the game, the Jets recorded one first down before being forced into a Robert Malone punt. That was it. Every other drive for the rest of the game resulted in either a three and out, or a turnover. The offense was putrid, and there is no better term to use. The running game was terrible, averaging a whopping 2.6 yards per carry. Shonn Greene gave us 34 yards, and Bilal Powell added 11. The offensive line did nothing to open holes, and the running game was non-existent.

The passing game was off as well. Receivers were not getting open down field, as nobody recorded more than 45 yards receiving (Chaz Schilens), or 4 catches (Holmes/Cumberland). There were countless throws by Mark Sanchez that were nowhere near his receivers, as evidenced by his 13-29 passing stats. Tim Tebow threw his first pass, and it was complete, but ended in a fumble. But back to Mark. He was not on the same page with his receivers all day. The communication seemed to be off, and his accuracy…well, was invisible.

But, the Jets remained in the game early, primarily due to 2 missed field goals by David Akers. That brings me to a critical time in this football game, where the Jets could have seized some momentum and turned this game in their favor.

Move to midway through the second quarter. The 49ers took over in Jets territory after the Dedrick Epps fumble. After driving to the Jets’ 28 yard line, the drive stalled. The reason it stalled was a rare surge by the Jets’ pass rush. Back to back sacks by Bryan Thomas and Calvin Pace set up the 49ers with a 55 yard field goal attempt, which David Akers missed. Here you have a defensive surge, followed by a missed field goal, which can always turn the momentum of a game. But what did the Jets do with this sudden burst from their defense? Two runs and a pass, and another of many three and outs. From this point, you could just tell that this was going to get away from the Jets. Points could have changed the track of this game, but once they punted, the 49ers ended the half 10-0, and never looked back come the second half.

2-13 on third down doesn’t help either.

It was ugly. We will talk about the defense on the next page. Not even going to mention the Wildcat, because as we all saw, the Jets have no idea how to use it.

Sept. 30, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

It didn’t get any better for Rex Ryan and his vaunted defense either.

Granted, the offense performed terribly, which made the defense have to play way too much. They got tired, no doubt. But, even in the early part of the game, it is not as if they were playing lights out. Far from it. The Jets defense is far from being “elite”. It’s not even good right now.

The front seven is getting beaten like a mule right now. Talk about not being able to stop a nose bleed. We will talk about it a lot, the run defense. The Jets allowed 245 yards on the ground. Remember early in Rex’s tenure, when it would take two games to reach that total? It feels like those days are far in the past, doesn’t it. Other than the game in Pittsburgh, they have looked terrible against the run. They allowed 5.6 yards per rush, and the team is ranked 31st against the run after yesterday. Terrible.

The problem is they are not getting off their blocks, and they are not tackling. It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Get in the hole, and tackle. Obviously it’s not simple. The front seven has to be able to disengage from their blocks, and fill the hole. They are getting blocked, and staying blocked. At the point of attack, these running backs are basically getting through untouched.

When they get touched, they are not getting wrapped up. Instead, the Jets are attempting to bring guys down with arm tackles, which will not cut it in this league. To be a good defensive team, you can’t give up yards after first contact. You must bring these guys down with the first hit. It didn’t happen yesterday, and it hasn’t happened much all season, and it is a major problem.

Another is no pass rush. Other than the back to back sacks by Bryan Thomas and Calvin Pace, the pass rush continues to be invisible. The overload blitzes seem to be a thing of the past, as Rex and Pettine are relying on the 3 and 4 man rushes, and it just isn’t working. It’s almost scary, how long the quarterbacks have had to throw against the Jets. The defense was an epic fail, and it appears to be getting worse.

We do have a nice weapon in our punter, Robert Malone. It’s pretty scary when the punter is the most positive player to talk about the day after the game, isn’t it?

Such is life as a Jets fans sometimes. We’ve got Houston next, anybody else nervous?