10 Awesomely Awesome Meaningless Meaningful Jets/NFL Thoughts

Through 3 games thus far, the Jets defense hasn’t lived up to the pre-season hype.

1.) The underachieving Jets defense –

Through 3 games of the 2012 NFL season, the Jets defense hasn’t looked nearly as good as advertised and that’s putting it NICELY.  The most troubling aspect of this underachieving Jets defense has to be the lack of pass rush thus far.  Now a lack of pass rush is something that has plagued Rex Ryan’s defensive scheme since taking over as head coach in 2009, but the reason why it’s even MORE troubling this season is because the Jets convinced themselves and the world that they had “addressed” the issue adequately over the past 2 offseasons but apparently this hasn’t been the case.  How’s this for perspective; the Jets have 3 QB sacks total for the ENTIRE season thus far.  The Seattle Seahawks sacked Green Bay Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers 8 times in the FIRST HALF of their game last week.

To say that the pass rush has been disappointing is a MASSIVE understatement.  It has FAILED to live up to the hype that Rex and Co. generated leading up to the season.  Everyone predicted that the Jets defense would be stellar and that it would need to carry the team through the season but ironically, in both of the Jets wins this season (Bills and Dolphins) the offense, as lethargic as it seems at times, has been the primary reason for the Jets coming out on the winning side of those games.  Probably the most alarming factor surrounding the Jets pass rushing struggles, is the number of snaps players like Aaron Maybin and Quinton Coples have gotten over the past 2 weeks; out of a possible 151 defensive snaps vs the Steelers and Dolphins, Coples and Maybin have combine for a total of 65 snaps, that’s not even half of the total defensive snaps within the past 2 weeks for arguably 2 of the most talented pass rushers on the team.

2.)     Revis’s injury and his contract-

Don’t you just hate monkey wrenches?  Seems as if a HUGE monkey wrench was just thrown into this Revis/Jets “situation” and man are the POSSIBILITES pretty much ENDLESS at this point.  Pretty much NOTHING is guaranteed and there are WAY too many variables surrounding this situation to form ANY kind of feasible hypothetical at this point.  What we do know is that Revis has 2 years remaining on his contract and once added to the IR, the Jets will still be on the hook for the 8.5 mill Revis is owed this season.   ONE of those 2 years  remaining on his contract (this season) he won’t be playing and the FINAL year he MAY have to spend it PROVING himself ALL over again.   This MAY not go over well with the Revis camp as they may be looking for a good faith contract anytime between NOW and the moment Revis steps on the field again and the Jets are NOT obligated to do any such thing.  Let me be clear, I WANTED THE JETS TO MAKE REVIS A JET FOR LIFE THE END OF LAST SEASON but it didn’t happen and now he’s lost 90% of his leverage.  It sucks for him, yeah it does, and though we all hate when our BEST player holds out for more guaranteed money, we can look at this and understand WHY they do it.

3.)    SANCHEZ WATCH!!!!  –

Through 3 games of the season Mark Sanchez has thrown for 5 TDs, 3 ints, 710 yards, 50.5 comp%, 78.3 QBR and has only gotten sacked 3 times this season.  Sanchez’s comp% is ranked last in the NFL among qualified QBs.  Sanchez had a bad game accuracy wise vs the Dolphins so it brought his comp% down from last week.  This week he faces a tough 49ers overall defense but one that is ranked 13^th against the pass and opposing QBs have an average QBR or 89.6 against them this season.

4.)    RB controversy? –

Watching Shonn Greene in that crucial goal line stand vs the Dolphins last week was probably the worst thing I’ve seen on MY television screen since that one time I used my house slipper to kill a Mexican water roach that was ever so elegantly walking across my TV screen in college.  It was HORRIBLE.  He seemed lethargic and nonchalant.  At ONE point, he attempted to dive over the pile for a score and was DESTROYED in DIABOLICAL fashion like some sort of tackling dummy.  Shonn Greene and his 2.8 ypc has been for the most part, COUNTERPRODUCTIVE for Sanchez and the passing game.  It makes the criticism of Sanchez look that much more semi-unfair considering Sanchez has had quite possibly the WORST starting RB in the league thus far at his disposal.  Jets need to immediately start splitting carries between Greene and 2^nd year RB Blial Powell who has looked much better running in between the tackles so far this season and also add Tim Tebow in the mix.  Tebow’s wildcat packages has been an utter fail so far this season and I care NOT to see any more of it but I would love to see Tebow in the back field and given some carries as he’s clearly the most talented runner on the team and that’s no joke.

Kyle Wilson has all the physical talent necessary to step up in Revis’s absence but can get step up mentally?

5.)    Kyle Wilson –

Kyle Wilson will undoubtedly be promoted to the number 2 CB (or number 1 depending on the matchups of course) now that Revis is out for the season and frankly the Jets should be afraid, VERY afraid. I don’t trust Kyle Wilson at all.  3 seasons in, Wilson still simply lacks the fundamentals and techniques needed to adequately play the CB position and that’s putting it nicely.  When playing the CB position, you have to realize that it’s 60% physical and 40% mental and Wilson hasn’t shown that he has grasp the mental aspect of the position.  Either he’s trying to defend the ball with his BACK turned to the QB or he’s consistently getting beat off the line and having to play catchup.  Wilson struggles with simple techniques such as;

A-     Playing physical with the WR at the line.

B-      Using the sideline as an asset.

C-      Getting leverage and giving space to gauge how much you will need to either stay with and run a fly pattern with the WR or to instinctively prepare to time your defense against a QUICK slant.

D-     And finally, learning when to TURN YOUR HEAD WHEN THE WR TURNS THEIR’S!!

These are simple techniques a CB will either utilize or not and it seems as if Wilson is failing to grasp any/and all of these techniques and it has been something that gets noticed when he has to step up in a bigger role in the secondary like he must do now.  I want Kyle Wilson to step up but he hasn’t given me any reason to believe that he can or will.

6.)    Reggie Bush’s comments –

Reggie Bush made it pretty clear this week that the Jets needn’t come looking for his shoulder to cry on re Darrelle Revis’s season ending injury he suffered against the Dolphins last Sunday.  Somebody should tell Reggie Bush that the Dolphins and Jets play TWICE a year.  Reggie Bush didn’t have the luxury of having a college degree HANDED to him like A LOT of things were while at USC so it’s no wonder why he didn’t have the common sense to realize that Rex Ryan’s “hotsauce”  comments weren’t a slight or some secret code word for “bounty” but instead a form of flattery and praise.  Maybe Rex will post these comments in the defense’s lockers 4 weeks from now when they will face the Bush and the Dolphins for the 2^nd time this season.

Joe McKnight is a gifted athlete but can he make the transition to CB? I think he can.

7.)    McKnight to CB? –

If McKnight can grasp the previously mentioned techniques that Kyle Wilson is having so much trouble grasping and utilize them adequately, I believe he has the physical tools to make the switch from RB to CB.  That’s a BIG “IF”.  Jets fans probably aren’t holding their breath at the possibility of McKnight excelling at the CB position but I say let’s see what he has and take it from there!

8.)    Tebow usage –

OK, now it’s getting pathetic.   Truly…..  Can I get an adequate/competent Tebow play in the spread option in which he actually throws the ball?  CAN I??????????  Can the Jets do something that actually utilizes Tebow’s BEST skill set which is running the ball???? CAN THEY????? IF NOT, why did the Jets TRADE A 4TH ROUNDER FOR HIM????

9.)    Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Jay Cutler, Mike Vick and Phillip Rivers fantasy drafters…..STEP AWAY FROM THE LEDGE!

10.)     The NFL has released a picture of the replacement refs discussing the controversial TD call that led to a Seahawk victory over the Packers  ~~~~~>

Bonus.)  Braylon Edwards continue to slip deeper and deeper into oblivion in his post-Jets career…he was targeted 0 times in Seattle’s win over the Packers.  I’m not even sure if he was even on the field at any time.  Jets fans loved Braylon when he was here and rightfully so as he did alot of great things here with Sanchez but we’ll never know the real reason he left outside of speculating he was asking for too much.

*****shrugs*****

Here’s hoping he finds a home that can utilize him adequately.