Does Eric Decker injury actually help Jets’ offense?
By Michael Pallas
Head coach Todd Bowles of the New York Jets could look out his Florham Park office window and see a signal in the Gotham skyline. No, not the bat signal, but the Jets’ logo, and it would signify it’s time for a quarterback change.
Wide receiver Eric Decker was placed on injured reserve, and that can only mean one thing for the New York Jets. It’s time to change quarterbacks.
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Despite the fact that Paul Esden Jr. of The Jet Press wrote the Jets lost the glue to their offense, this could be a good thing. Their offense was a bit glued together, depending on just the household names to get the job done.
There’s too much dinking and dunking going on because the Jets aren’t using the receivers that can create separation with speed.
The numbers comparison on passes 15 yards or fewer downfield is also nothing to sneeze at in comparison to 2015.
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It’s time to utilize the weapons and put in a quarterback who can do so. Part of the reason the Jets are 1-4 is because their offense is way too predictable.
According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert in his piece, “Maybe Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kirk Cousins, Brock Osweiler are who their teams thought they were,” 17.5% of Fitzpatrick‘s passes have been off target this season, and teams are blitzing him less as well.
Teams know they don’t have to blitz to get to him because there’s no deep threat. That’s both at receiver and with his arm.
So, now the Jets are forced to use more speed threats like wide receiver Robby Anderson. However, they would be rendered useless if someone can’t get them the football, and that’s where the quarterback change comes in.
Even though one is currently injured, they do have three quarterbacks on their roster with noted cannons, Geno Smith, Bryce Petty (injured), and Christian Hackenberg.
The combination of big play potential can potentially do two things:
1. Open up the offense2. Lift the top off the defense and open up the underneath passes
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They just need to insert the right quarterback and start giving defenses a reason to be worried about what is coming next.