Jets Handle Business Against Jaguars

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Jets vs. Jaguars Post Game Recap 12/9

The New York Jets were able to pickup their second straight win over a bad team by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 17-10. The win moves the Jets to (6-7), and with the Steelers and Bengals losing the Jets playoff hopes are still alive.

All the talk heading into this weeks game was about the Jets quarterback situation, and the decision of Rex Ryan to stick with Mark Sanchez who was benched the week before for Greg McElroy. Sanchez wasn’t asked to do a whole lot in this game, as he was only 12 for 19 with 111 yards passing. Sanchez didn’t throw any interceptions against the bad Jaguars defense, but did lose a fumble in Jacksonville territory.

Tim Tebow was in uniform in the state where he became a legend, but despite talk that he may get some playing time in Jacksonville to win the crowd over many who were there just to see Tebow he didn’t get to play a single snap. Notably last weeks hero Greg McElroy who some thought may get a chance to start was instead holding a clipboard and inactive.

The key the Jets scoring on offense was the great play of their offensive line and running backs, as the ground and pound attack was in full force against the Jaguars. The Jets ran the ball 42 times for 166 yards, as Shonn Greene had 20 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown, and Bilal Powell also ran it well getting 78 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown as well.

The lack of weapons for Sanchez was quite apparent, as their was no Santonio Holmes who is out for the season, Dustin Keller didn’t play, and Stephen Hill hurt his knee in the game slipping on the wet grass which didn’t look good for the rookie.

For the second straight week the Jets defense did what should be expected against a poor offense which allowed Sanchez to just manage the game, and hand the ball off to his running backs. The Jets were able to hold the Jaguars offense which is maybe more banged up than the Jets offense to 291 yards. The biggest play from the Jets defense came while Jacksonville was threatening in the redzone, but a delayed blitz by Garrett McIntyre hit Chad Henne’s arm leading to an interception by Bart Scott. The Jets were able to bother Henne all game sacking him three times, as Mo Wilkerson, David Harris, and Quinton Coples all got to Henne. The third down defense was also great for the second straight week holding the Jaguars to only two conversions on 16 attempts.

The Jets will look to reach the .500 mark and redeem themselves on national television on Monday night against Chris Johnson and the Tennessee Titans.

Jets Sticking With Sanchez

bleacherreport.com

The New York Jets and Rex Ryan made the big decision that everyone was waiting for on Wednesday morning and will be sticking with Mark Sanchez as the starting quarterback for Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The move definitely has to have factored more off the field stuff than on the field performance, as Sanchez was given an extension last off-season and is still owed over $8 million next season. Another reason also has to be that the Jets don’t want to admit they made a mistake trading up to the 5th pick to draft Sanchez and pushed to everyone that he was going to be the franchise quarterback earning him the nickname “The Sanchise.”

The leash heading into Jacksonville has to be short on Sanchez; he has been awful this season only completing 55 percent of his passes and has only 12 touchdown passes to 13 interceptions to go along with seven fumbles. Sanchez has never had any threat in his first three years of being benched for Mark Brunell, so it will be interesting to see how he responds to being benched for Greg McElroy.

The luckiest thing for Sanchez, Ryan and the Jets organization is that their next two games are on the road against the Jaguars and Titans, both of whom haven’t played well. If this next game against the Jaguars was at home it would be hard to imagine how many boo’s would be coming from the crowd in MetLife stadium, as Jets fans clearly don’t want Sanchez as their quarterback anymore.

The next question for the Jets now is who is their number two quarterback, as McElroy played very well, managing the game for the Jets against the Cardinals in leading them to a one point win and McElroy has to feel a bit snubbed that he isn’t getting a shot to start after the win. Tim Tebow also has to feel snubbed, as it is clear the Jets don’t want him as the quarterback with him being cleared to play last week but not suiting up. The whole Tebow question is a confusing one if he wasn’t brought in to be the backup quarterback, was he really brought in to just sell tickets? It will be interesting to see if Tebow dresses along with McElroy, as the Jets head back to where Tebow became a college legend.

Ryan will be sticking with Sanchez in four very winnable games as he has been the biggest Sanchez supporter; Ryan has probably put his job in the hands of Sanchez, as if the Jets stumble in these last four games. If Sanchez continues his poor play the Jets may be looking for a new quarterback and coach next season.

McElroy's Heroics Lead Jets to Win

latimes.com

Obviously the biggest part in the game is the benching of Mark Sanchez, who was god awful in the first two and a half quarters against the Cardinals. Sanchez was on his way to one of the worst performances of his career, as he went 10 for 21 for just 97 yards passing with three interceptions and was unable to help the Jets get any points in his time under center. The chanting for McElroy became louder and louder from the Jets fans; when Ryan benched Sanchez the game turned around for them.

Greg McElroy, making his first appearance in a regular season NFL game did very well and his experience at Alabama winning a National Title certainly had to help him with his nerves in relieving Sanchez and leading the Jets to the victory. The seventh round pick led the Jets on two very nice drives; one resulting in a touchdown pass to Jeff Cumberland and the second bringing them to the Cardinals goalline where he took a knee to ice it for his first career win.

Former Jet Kerry Rhodes came to prove a point it would appear against his former team and the coach that called him a selfish player with a Hollywood attitude. Rhodes got two of the interceptions off his former teammate Sanchez and forced a fumble which led to one of the Cardinals two field goals in this game; also by another former Jet, Jay Feely.

If Jets fans thought their quarterback situation was bad, they must be thankful that they do not root for the Cardinals. As bad as Sanchez has been this season, he looks like Aaron Rodgers compared to Ryan Lindley, who when watching him play quarterback has to keep peoples' dreams alive that you too can be a quarterback in the NFL. Lindley went 10 for 31 with just 72 yards passing, and threw an interception to LaRon Landry. Despite targeting one of the best receivers in the NFL in Larry Fitzgerald seven times, one of the best in the game only had one catch for 23 yards. Overall the defense has to get a lot of credit; they did their job against a bad quarterback and held the Cardinals to zero for 15 on third downs.

It was not a pretty win but it does count so the Jets are now 5-7, and have a very slim chance still of making the playoffs, but the real questions will be in the week to come about who will be the starting quarterback heading into Jacksonville and why Tebow scratched despite being cleared to play with his rib injury on Sunday.

Jets Disappoint on Thanksgiving

nydailynews.com

Jets vs. Patriots Post Game Recap 11/22

The New York Jets were totally embarrassed at home on Thanksgiving by the New England Patriots, as most fans left the stadium at half time because the game was already well over after a historically bad second quarter. The final score was a 49-19 Patriots victory.

The loss puts the Jets at (4-7) now for the season, and almost certainly ends their shot at the playoffs something that would have been a tall task even with a win on Thanksgiving.

The Jets were actually tied with the Patriots after the first quarter 0-0, but three turnovers in the second quarter on a Sanchez interception, and fumble along with a Joe McKnight fumble on the kickoff return led to the horrendous 35 point second quarter from the Patriots, with the Jets only kicking a field-goal at the end of the half. The field goal was a curious one if you are down by 35 points on the Patriots goal-line why not go for a touchdown.

Most notably absent from the game was Tim Tebow who was questionable with a rib injury but was in uniform, but Tebow didn’t step on to the field on offense or special teams making it curious that third string quarterback Greg McElroy wasn’t in uniform in case of a Sanchez injury.

Mark Sanchez didn’t play well against the Patriots but the blame can’t all go on Sanchez despite two awful turnovers including a comical fumble when he ran into his lineman’s rear end. Sanchez finished the game throwing for 306 yards on 26 for 36 passing with a touchdown pass to Dustin Keller, and the two turnovers. Most of Sanchez’s stats came in junk time with the Patriots defense clearly in somewhat of a prevent defense.

The Jets pass defense was owned by Tom Brady even though he was missing his favorite weapon in Rob Gronkowski you wouldn’t know he was missed by the way that Brady played. Brady torched the Jets for 323 yards on 18 for 28 passing, and three touchdowns to Shane Vereen, Wes Welker, and Julian Edelman.

The Jets will have a little more time than usual before the next game against the Arizona Cardinals, as it will be interesting to see how the Jets respond after this game realizing the playoffs won’t be happening this season.

Jets Snap Losing Streak Against Rams

northjersey.com

Jets vs. Rams Post Game Recap 11/18

The New York Jets were able to bounce back from three straight losses to beat the St Louis Rams on the road, as the Jets looked like a completely different team from last week in the 27-13 win.

Mark Sanchez with his job figured to be in serious jeopardy with his poor play of late and Tim Tebow as his back up was able to come thru with one of his better games of the season to probably hold off the quarterback controversy for a little while at least. Sanchez finished the game against the Rams going 15 for 20 for 178 yards with a touchdown pass, and most importantly no turnovers. Tim Tebow was almost no where to be found in this game only getting a few plays which lead to negative yards, as with the newspaper reports of the team being against Tebow, and a lack of playing time its surely had to be a tough week for Tebow.

If the quarterback controversy is over for now the running back one is heating up between Bilal Powell, and the struggling starter Shonn Greene. Greene didn’t run it that good only getting 64 yards on 18 carries, as Bilal Powell had 42 yards on 11 carries, and scored the first two rushing touchdowns of his career.

The receiving core for the Jets was lead by surprisingly good game from Chaz Schilens. Schilens lead the Jets in catches and yards, as he four catches for 48 yards, and caught his second touchdown pass of the season. For the Jets despite not throwing it that many times nine different receivers had at least one catch.

The Jets defense after a bad first drive played very good against the poor offense of the Rams, and last year’s offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. The Jets defense was able to force three turnovers, and once again Mo Wilkerson had the biggest play on the defensive side of the ball on a strip sack, as it seems that Wilkerson is coming into his own as a good lineman. The Jets did a good job of stopping the former number one pick Sam Bradford holding him to 170 yards on 23 for 44 passing. They did however struggle against the run, as Steven Jackson 81 yards on 13 carries, and as a team the Rams averaged over five yards per carry.

The special teams for the Jets once again didn’t play good, but at least they didn’t turn it over this week. The bad things on the Jets special teams was a attempted Tebow fake punt which he flipped it to Lex Hilliard for a loss of yards, and a Nick Folk attempted field goal was also blocked. Folk did however hit two 50 plus yard field goals at the end of the first and second quarters.

The Jets won’t have much time to enjoy this win, as they will be playing the Patriots on a short week in the primetime game on Thanksgiving. Some good news for the Jets for the game against the Patriots is that they will be without star tight end Rob Gronkowski who broke his forearm in the Patriots blowout win over the Colts.

Jets Week 10 Team Grades

Sunday November 11th

Final Score: New York Jets 7 Seattle Seahawks 28

Jets Team Grades

The New York Jets coming of their bye week, and vows that they are still a playoff team saw that dream become a nearly impossible task after another embarrassing loss this time to the Seattle Seahawks

Passing Offense Grade: F

The Jets passing offense once again looked beyond bad, as Mark Sanchez continues to play poorly only going 9 for 22 for a mere 124 yards, and threw an awful redzone interception on a late throw to a previously open Dustin Keller which changed the game for the worst. Tim Tebow did however throw more passes than he had all season up until this point, as Tebow went 3 for 3 on three bubble screens to Jeremy Kerley but only gained eight yards.

Rushing Offense Grade: C-

The Jets rushing offense was ok, but not nearly good enough to make up for the horrendous passing offense, as the Jets rushed for 84 yards on 22 carries for 3.8 yards per carry. Two of the Jets failed runs came on the opening drive in the game where Shonn Greene and Lex Hilliard were both stopped on consecutive attempts on 3rd and 4th and 1 runs despite the Jets being a good team in short yardage efficiency. Shonn Greene was the teams leading rusher with 58 yards on 15 carries, but didn’t have a rush for more than 10 yards.

Passing Defense Grade: D+

The Jets pass defense had a few let downs in pass coverage which lead to some long touchdown passes by Russell Wilson, and a gimmick touchdown pass by Golden Tate. Wilson despite being sacked four times had an impressive game going 12 for 19 with 188 yards, and two touchdowns for a big 131 passer rating. The one positive for the Jets pass defense was the four sacks one of which by Mike Devito led to the fumble which was returned by Wilkerson for the Jets only touchdown.

Rushing Defense Grade: C-

The Jets run defense did a very good job for the first three quarters holding one of the best running backs in the league in Marshawn Lynch to only 64 yards rushing heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth however was where Lynch did most of his damage weather it is that the Jets got tired or just simply gave up. Lynch was the Seahawks leading rusher, as he ran for 124 yards on 27 carries, and as a team the Seahawks had 174 yards on the ground.

Special Teams Grade: D

For the third straight week the Jets special teams let them down, as this week Jeremy Kerley fumbled a punt return leading to a Seattle touchdown. The Jets just simply can’t afford to make mistakes like this because they don’t have the offense to make up for it. The coverage team did however do well against former Jet Leon Washington keep him from breaking out a big return.

Coaching Grade: F

Another bad loss this one coming off a bye week blame has to go on the coaching staff. The offense has looked horrible making the chatter for Tebow to start over the struggling Sanchez louder and louder, and if Rex Ryan doesn’t do something quick it may cost him his job.

Is It Tebow Time?

Is it finally Tebow time for the New York Jets? The Jets have just lost three games in a row bringing their record to 3-6. Mark Sanchez threw the ball 22 times and completed only nine of them for 124 yards. This managed to lower the already league's lowest completion percentage for Sanchez, which is at 52% for the season. Sanchez has also thrown nine interceptions on the year, four of which are in the red zone, which leads the NFL. Along with the interceptions, Sanchez has fumbled the ball eight times, second only to Michael Vick.

Lost in Sanchez's inability to pass effectively is the ineffectiveness of the running game. Tony Sparano was brought in to get the Jets back to the ground-n-pound offense that got them to two AFC Championship games. However, that is not the case this season, as the Jets have only rushed for 3.8 yards per carry, 23rd in the NFL.

Tim Tebow has only seen limited action in games on the offensive side of the ball, using him mostly in the wildcat for runs and attempting only six passes on the season, completing five. In the 2011 season after starting 1-4 with Kyle Orton at quarterback, the Broncos gave Tebow the start and he led them to an 8-8 finish. With Kyle Orton at the helm, the Broncos averaged 3.6 yards per carry. However, with Tebow starting, the Broncos averaged 6.1 yards per carry. That is a 2.5 yard increase in the running game per rush which is staggering.

Tebow as a passer is actually slightly more effective than Sanchez is currently. In Tebow's short career, he has thrown for 17 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions. Tebow's completion percentage is slightly lower than Sanchez, but his yards per pass attempt at 6.75 yards is .5 yards more than Sanchez's.

Tebow might not be the long term answer in New York, but it is clear that Mark Sanchez is not the answer either. If the Jets want to win games now, Tebow gives them most likely their best option at the quarterback position. Rex Ryan's blind faith in Sanchez has led the Jets to the 30th ranked offense in the NFL, and with the playoffs still a possibility for the Jets, a change needs to be made to this atrocious offense.

Jets Struggle in Seattle

New York Jets vs. Seattle Seahawks Post Game Recap 11/11

The Jets tail spin continued on the west coast in Seattle against the Seahawks, as the Jets were dominated by Seattle losing 28-7 to move the Jets to 3-6 on the season, and have lost five of their last six.

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The Jets offense looked awful again lead by an awful game from Mark Sanchez, who was only 9 for 22 with 124 yards passing, and threw a costly red-zone interception, and lost a fumble. Rex Ryan has to realize that Sanchez just isn’t good and make the switch to Tebow or Ryan maybe shown the door after the season.

Tim Tebow got to do some more than normal against Seattle, as Tebow threw one more pass on Sunday than he had all season. All three of Tebow’s passes were bubble screens to Jeremy Kerley but he was 3 for 3. He also ran it four times for 14 yards. The lack of Tebow use is a real head scratcher what do the Jets have to lose he can’t be worse than the way Sanchez is playing now.

The Jets rushing offense was mediocre against a good Seahawks defense, as Shonn Greene ran it 15 times for 58 yards, but as a team had less than 100 yards rushing so much for the ground and pound.

The Jets receiving core had a really rough time against the big physical Seattle secondary, as the Jets were lead in receiving by Jeremy Kerley who had five catches for 57 yards with most of that coming on a 43-yard catch. Dustin Keller was the only other Jet with multiple receptions, as Keller had three catches for 47 yards with most of that coming on his 32-yard catch.

The Jets defense was once again pretty good, as was the only reason that the Jets didn’t get shutout in Seattle thanks to a Muhammad Wilkerson fumble return for a touchdown. The Defense was playing well up until the 4th quarter but probably got tired from being on the field to long or just gave up that their offense was doing nothing to help them. Some bright spots for the defense were that they did a very good job putting pressure on rookie quarterback Russell Wilson sacking him four times.

The special teams once again let the Jets down this week, as Jeremy Kerley fumbled a punt return mistakes that just can’t be made with the lack of an offense for the Jets. A positive on the special teams was that they did a good job containing former Jet Leon Washington keeping him from breaking anything big.

The Jets will be on the road again next week to face the St Louis Rams, and a familiar face in Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.