It’s Been a Bi-Polar First Half for the New York Jets

October 21, 2012; Foxboro, MA USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan reacts during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE

We are at the halfway point for the New York Jets. After a promising start at 2-0 in the AFC East, they go into the break at 3-5, 2-2 in the division. There have been some highs for the Jets, and some lows. Frankly, the team has been a bit bi-polar, to tell you the truth. Let’s see what I mean.

In the Jets 5 losses, they have averaged 12.4 points per game, with a shutout and a 9 point effort mixed in there. In the three wins, the Jets have averaged 35.3 points per game. In the three wins, the Jets have averaged a net yardage of 374.3 yards per game. In the five losses, the Jets have averaged 283.2 yards per game on offense. It’s nearly a 100 yard per game difference, not to mention the point differential in the games as well. The offense has clearly been bi-polar.

The players have been bi-polar, sometimes even during games. The worst culprit of this has been the quarterback, Mark Sanchez. You have seen it in the wins vs losses. How good did he look in the first game against the Buffalo Bills? How about the Dolphins game in Miami? He wasn’t perfect, but he made some beautiful throws when it counted, especially the clincher to Santonio Holmes. He showed flashes of his successful past. Then, you have the other side of Mark. How bad did he look in the game against the Niners? He looked worse than he did as a rookie, that’s how bad. How about Sunday’s game against Miami? He looked lost, that’s how he looked.

The face of the team has been bi-polar, the team has been bi-polar.

The defense has had the same performance. Look at how they have played against the run. They let CJ Spiller run rampant on them, making him look like the second coming of Barry Sanders. The following week, although they lost to the Steelers, the Steelers couldn’t get anything done on the ground. They have looked quite bi-polar. They have looked this way in other aspects of the game as well. Remember how they played in the Texans game? They gave the offense every chance to pick up the W that night. Antonio Cromartie made Andre Johnson a non-factor, and the running game didn’t go wild. But, in the New England game, they were given the lead with a minute and a half remaining, and they were the ones that “couldn’t stop a nosebleed”. They gave up 34 points to the San Francisco 49ers, but only 9 to the Indianapolis Colts. I am not taking the team into account, just the performances on the field.

They have been bi-polar. In every aspect of the game, the Jets have been bi-polar. This is what is going to have to change in the second half.