Frank Reich just reminded Jets fans that unc’s still got it in Week 1 debut

It's like riding a bike.

Ok, no, coordinating a winning NFL offense is not actually like riding a bike. Especially in New York Jets land. But Frank Reich, who's seen it all over a professional career spanning five separate decades, had Gang Green's offense prepared on Sunday like he'd never taken a two-year hiatus from the pros.

Even after losing promising rookie Omar Ponds Jr. to an ankle injury in the first quarter, and despite second-year tight end Mason Taylor doing seemingly everything he could to derail offensive success, Reich had the boys humming. 367 yards and five scoring drives later, the Jets offense led the team to a decisive victory.

How often do you hear that as a Jets fan?

The New York Jets' offensive game plan actually looked... professional?

Going into week one, we knew the talent was there, to some degree. Braelon Allen is good. Adonai Mitchell is good. Breece Hall is really good. And Garrett Wilson is great. The offensive line is solid at every position, and rookies like Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. have a lot of raw potential.

The only facets of the offense that required clarity were the quarterback and coaching. Is Geno Smith still a solid starter, or was last season the beginning of the end? Is Frank Reich still an above-average offensive mind, or has the game passed him in his absence?

Smith's answer came in the form of a respectable 215 yards and an 87% adjusted completion percentage on 24 attempts. Reich's answer, more holistically, came in the form of an entire unit that operated as a methodical locomotive.

It kicked off with an 8-play drive for 60 yards during a healthy four-minute and 15-second possession, featuring Omar Cooper Jr.'s first career reception and a Breece Hall touchdown. The following three possessions resulted in a punt and two field goal attempts, one of which Jason Sanders hit. The offense went into halftime with 10 points (which should have been 13) and two long scoring drives of 60 and 74 yards. Not bad.

The second half was just as good, if not better, with 166 yards of offense and scoring drives of 80 and 46 yards. Jason Sanders redeemed his ugly miss in the second quarter with two second-half field goals. And without the injured Omar Cooper Jr., the trio of Garret Wilson, Breece Hall, and Adonai Mitchell picked up his slack, combining for 162 yards and a touchdown in the second half.

Overall, what made Reich's performance the most impressive was how versatile the results were. Everyone got involved. All units played well. All phases performed. Breece Hall put up 118 total yards. Garrett Wilson tacked on 79 yards himself.

Braelon Allen backed up Hall with a stout 40 yards on four rushing attempts. Adonai Mitchell brought in 3 catches, including a huge 40-yard reception early in the third quarter. Rookie Kenyon Sadiq got a taste of action with one rush and 3 receptions, and Cooper Jr. completed an electric 30-yard YAC-heavy catch before he was sidelined.

The offense performed as well as you could possibly ask for, especially on the line. The running lanes were open all day. And Geno Smith had a clean pocket almost the entire afternoon. Smith even went as far as to say, "I don't think I got touched at all out there."

It's far too early to gloat or consider the Jets' offense a finished product. The Tennessee Titans did finish last season 28th in defensive points allowed. And while our old friend Robert Saleh does bring a certain level of pedigree to the defense, including multiple ex-Jets, that defense is far from the formidable foe you should truly measure yourself against.

Still, you can't do better than 1-0. You can't do better than what we've seen thus far. And Frank Reich is proving he still has the juice that's allowed him such a lengthy pro career in coaching. The offense mixed in a little bit of everything on Sunday, and all the momentum is on his side heading into next Sunday's season opener against Green Bay.

And if you wanted any additional evidence to show how comfortable Reich feels back in the league, just take a look at his reaction up in the booth to the Jets' opening drive score.

Other than a quick fist bump and nod of approval, Reich hardly moved his elbows from the table or showed any excitement. Like an old western gunslinger who's still got it, he twirled his pistol in his hand, then placed it right back in his holster for the next drive, as if nothing had changed.

It's like riding a bike.

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