Monday Morning Quarterback: New York Jets vs. Tennessee Titans

Dec 14, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) passes against the Tennessee Titans during the first half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

The Jets won a game yesterday, topping the Titans by the score of 16-11. It was an ugly one, it wasn’t the prettiest game to watch, that’s for sure. However, many fans are upset about it, but I am not. It’s good to see the Jets put it together and win one, even if it means they likely won’t be able to draft Marcus Mariota.

Let’s talk about it a little bit.

First let’s talk about Geno Smith a little bit. I, for one, was proud of him. Did he have a great game? No. If the Jets have already made a decision on him, Geno only made small strides, if any, towards changing their minds. He did not change the game with his arm. But he did the job, putting the Jets in position to win at the end, and they did.

He led the Jets on the game-winning drive, putting the go-ahead touchdown on the board with less than four minutes to play. More importantly, he played the game without turning the ball over. As a Jets fan, that is what we expect from our quarterback. He has done it, six times now, just not consistently enough. But he did it here, and the Jets won. For the game, Geno was 16-29 for 179 yards and a touchdown. It was a good job out of Geno today.

I have to say, I LOVE seeing the offensive line come to the defense of their quarterback like they did during the brawl. Clearly, Geno Smith took a punch to the face. I’m not sure why the guy that threw the punch got to remain in the game, as throwing a punch is an automatic ejection. Those of you that follow me on Twitter saw me joke during the game about the obscure rule that allows punching Jets players. But all kidding aside, are the refs going to miss these things every time the Jets play? It’s unbelievable sometimes.

But as far as the fight goes, I have no problem with the defense of their quarterback. No, they shouldn’t be coming off of the bench, as that is how situations get out of control. But, I understand why they did it. That is the culture with Rex Ryan’s Jets, defend your own. Fine by me, teammates must look after each other.

Aug 22, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg on the bench against the New York Giants during the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Giants defeated the Jets 35-24. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Even with the win, the game plan did surprise me just a bit. Let’s look at the offense for a minute. The Titans came into this game at the bottom of the entire league in rushing defense. But the “Ground and Pound” was not dominant. The Jets actually ran it more than they threw it yesterday. What was Marty Mornhinweg thinking? Stick with the running game. We have seen it time and time again, when the running game isn’t effective early, you keep pounding away, and the holes start to open up.

Yes, the Jets won the game, but the plan still could have been better. Marty made some excellent calls in this one. the “Wildcat” play that broke Chris Johnson loose, when Geno made a block down field, was a great example. But, the overall plan was very strange.

The Jets could have even been a little more aggressive on defense. The Titans had backups along the offensive line, but Rex didn’t blitz as much as I expected. This seemed like as good of a time as any to unleash all of those blitzes that have been so characteristic of Rex’s time with the Jets. I can’t find too much fault, as Rex was likely compensating for his suspect secondary. It just seemed not like Rex, to stay back and not attack a weak offensive line.

Dec 14, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; New York Jets wide receiver

(87) attempts to catch a touchdown pass against Tennessee Titans cornerback

(24) during the second half at LP Field. Jets won 16-11. Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

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Despite the drops, I was happy for the performance by Eric Decker. The Jets spent a bunch of money to bring the guy in, it’s nice to see him FINALLY post a 100 yard performance. Despite everything, he IS a number one wide receiver. I look forward to watching him play when the quarterback play finally improves.

Quinton Coples also looked good. He is a guy that shows flashes, but just hasn’t been very consistent. Maybe it has been the move to outside linebacker, but I wish we would see more out of Coples. He has great potential as an edge pass rusher for the Jets, but he just hasn’t done it enough.

A lot of penalties in that game. It was ugly, there is no denying that. Any time two teams face each other with a 2-11 record, you are going to get an ugly football game. But the defense did just enough for the Jets to win, and the offense was able to win it late when they needed it.

The Jets get their first road win of the year, and show the coach that they are still playing hard for him. After the game, D’Brickashaw Ferguson gave the embattled head coach a game ball and told him how much they appreciate him. Good for them. It was nice to see them finally get a win.