Week 6 Jets Report Card

Oct 14, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan on the sidelines against the Indianapolis Colts during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

The grades are in from yesterday’s 35-9 win over the Colts. Rest assured, these grades will certainly raise everyone’s GPA. Let’s get to it.

QUARTERBACK:B

Mark Sanchez may not have been outstanding yesterday, but he certainly was efficient, going 11-18 for 82 yards and 2 TDs. The running game performed so well that Mark Sanchez did not need to do much, but he did what he had to do. He didn’t turn the ball over once. His two touchdown throws were excellent, throws that were as good as anybody can make. He had some inaccuracies throughout the game, but for the most part, he did what he had to do to help his team win, and that is all you can ask for from your quarterback.

RUNNING BACKS:A+

The running game performed as if they were tired of being criticized. They had a chip on their shoulders, and it showed in their performance. Shonn Greene, for the first time that anyone can remember, put in a dominant performance, setting a career high of 161 yards on 32 carries(also a career high), and tying his career best with 3 TDs. Shonn, in particular, looked like a guy that was sick of being criticized. Many have, especially during the week leading up to the game against the Colts, called for his benching. Greene responded with a career-topping performance, and he deserves all the credit in the world.

Joe McKnight was finally given an opportunity, though a limited one, to make some plays on the offensive side of the football and Joe responded, posting 71 yards on just 3 carries. Yes, 61 came on one carry, but he looked explosive. When your team has a limited number of playmakers, you have to give those playmakers a chance in space whenever possible. It’s nice to see the Jets finally giving Joe a chance, hopefully it will continue.

WIDE RECEIVERS AND TIGHT ENDS:B-

It’s hard to give these guys a huge grade, simply because their wasn’t a large sampling to grade them from. The running game was so good, the Jets didn’t throw the ball very often. The plays they had to make, they did make. Stephen Hill caught the ball with his hands much better than in the past, and made an excellent catch on his TD. Jason Hill ran a good route to catch his TD pass. The receivers made the catches that they had to.

The grade comes down because of the lack of impact made by the tight ends. A lot was made of the return of Dustin Keller, but he was a non factor. He rcorded only one catch for 6 yards, and no other tight end made a catch.

OFFENSIVE LINE:A

A lot of credit must be sent this group’s way. The running game was awesome, running for over five yards per carry, and the line played a huge part in that. They opened holes better than we can all remember, and the running backs reaped the benefits. Mark Sanchez reaped the benefits of the line as well, being only sacked once, and having a good clean pocket for most of the game.

Oct 14, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets defensive end Quinton Coples (98) grabs the face mask of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aristide Economopoulos/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE

DEFENSIVE LINE:B-

Do not adjust your computer’s monitor settings, you are seeing the picture on this page correctly. That is our first round draft pick, Quinton Coples, in the backfield hitting a quarterback. They gave him a chance to rush the passer today, and he responded, recording 1.5 sacks. Mo Wilkerson had a strong game as well, adding a sack of his own, as well as 6 total tackles, 5 solo. The defensive line must get credit for holding the Colts to under 3 yards per rushing attempt. The grade comes down a little due to the untimely penalties by Wilkerson and Coples.

LINEBACKERS:B-

Not spectacular, but a solid performance out of this group yesterday. I had to rub my eyes, but there was an Aaron Maybin sighting, as he finally made an impact, recording .5 sack. They too, must receive some of the credit for the Colts running attack being held to under 3 yards per carry. It was nice to finally see a game where these guys weren’t missing tackles all over the field. These are all good signs that things are getting on the right track with this defense.

DEFENSIVE BACKS:B+

It wasn’t a perfect game for the Jets secondary, as Andrew Luck did throw for 280 yards. However, this group as well, made big plays when it needed to. It was nice to see Ellis Lankster get in the boxscore with an interception, and Antonio Cromartie added one as well. He had a second one, but it was nullified due to a very dicey pass interference call. Both plays were pick sixes, but both were nullified on penalties, one that took away the INT, one that did not.

Reggie Wayne did lead all receivers with 87 yards, and Donnie Avery did add 60 more yards, but there was no point in the game when you felt that the passing game of the Colts was going to take the game over, and that is a credit to the Jets secondary. Sept 23, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Jets punter Robert Malone (3) runs prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

SPECIAL TEAMS:A

Westy and his crew had an excellent game yesterday. Robert Malone did an excellent job punting the football, averaging 48 yards per punt over 5 punts, landing one inside the twenty.

The Jets were successful on yet another fake punt, as Tim Tebow connected with Nick Bellore on a jump pass that picked up 23 yards to set the Jets up for their TD that extended the lead to 21-6. This fake was a momentum changing, back breaking play, and the special teams deserves a lot of credit for getting it done.

The celebration will be short lived, as the Jets tangle with the Patriots next week. The work begins on what will be a fun week in New York.