Never fun writing about these. The offense came to play today, Sanchez was as good as you could have expected him to be against a top 5 defense. You couldn't poke a hole in Brian Schottenheimer's playcalling. What lost this game was the areas where the Jets usually dominate: Special Teams and Defense.
I said after the first half that the Jets secondary was playing at a near superhuman level, all making great plays. Pool made a great play to deny Olsen a ball down the seam from Cutler, Revis had a nice breakup on a Bennett pass. Everyone was hitting on all cylinders in the secondary. But something was seriously wrong with the defensive line, and that's been a theme all season. We always seem to do a great job of stuffing the run, despite the Forte 100 yard performance today, I still maintain that DeVito and Pouha vastly underpaid for the work they do in the trenches. Jason Taylor and Shaun Ellis, a lot of this falls on you.
In the second half, Jay Cutler had time to drop back, set his feet, admire the vastness of nature, check if he had any missed calls on his cell phone, and throw. Only when the Jets brought pressure from the secondary did we get ANY pressure on Cutler. This was particularly painful because of the fact that in the first half, on two of the times where the defense did get pressure on Cutler, he took a terrible sack, and threw a very Cutler-like INT to Lowery for 6.
I'm going to keep the positives brief, but if there was anyone who deserved some notice today it's Wayne Hunter. He did an outstanding job of protecting the right side against Julius Peppers today. Peppers was completely silent, and in the second half you could see that he was a step slower for whatever reason. Great game by Hunter, although I did notice that the Jets went left with most of their runs when the right is usually their power side with Woody. Still great fill in game Hunter.
Weatherford's punting was stellar as usual, and Sanchez did everything you could ask. That pick to end the game was a calculated risk, and it didn't pay off. Other than that, maybe two or three other bad throws and a stroke of luck that one didn't get picked in the first half. The shoulder didn't appear to be a problem, because Sanchez's throws were flying today.
Overall, tough loss, the defense played possibly their worst game of the season, but this was a tough game against a division champion team. We're in the playoffs, which is good and hopefully the team can get some momentum by beating down Buffalo for the last home game of the season next week.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Halftime: Jets 24 Bears 17.
Well, the Jets are a Dustin Keller drop from being up 28-17. Couple thoughts at the half.
1) Schotty is borderline on fire with the play calling. The Holmes reverse, even though he fumbled, worked. The Smith option worked. Sanchez has completed all but 2 passes, and some of that needs to be put on Schotty because Sanchez seems very comfortable out there with the playcalls, and Dustin Keller was released from his hostage situation and has 4 catches for 61 yards. He's playing creative between the 20s, and physical in the red zone. Can't ask for much more out of him.
2) For some reason, the O-line always has bigger holes for Greene, but he's looked very good with 8 carries for 44 and a TD. Haven't had to think about penalties too much on the offensive end because there was only 1 accepted by the Bears on Turner. Overall, offense looks the best it has in weeks.
3) I am genuinely worried about the defense not getting any pressure on Cutler with the exception of Harris getting there late a few times, and once from Ellis. The only sack was completely Cutler's fault for not getting rid of it. The secondary is playing out of their minds right now, and Cutler has rightfully begun to check down to Forte (who we'll have difficulty covering) and his tights ends Davis and Olsen.
4) The Bears borderline completely abandoned the run towards the end of the half, which isn't looking good for them because Cutler's only good throw was the lob on the wheel route to Forte. His INT was him in a nutshell. Thinking his arm could make a throw that wasn't even there.
5) I understand kicking away from Hester, but these guys are getting outstanding field position every drive, on the 35 or better each drive I would say. Obviously you don't to give up the HR, but by doing that, you give up doubles every time. I honestly don't think the Bears can put together a long drive.
24 points by the Jets at half is great, 17 by the Bears not so much despite the fact that the Jets D has looked very good with the exception of 2 or 3 plays. Let's see if the team can close this out on the road.
1) Schotty is borderline on fire with the play calling. The Holmes reverse, even though he fumbled, worked. The Smith option worked. Sanchez has completed all but 2 passes, and some of that needs to be put on Schotty because Sanchez seems very comfortable out there with the playcalls, and Dustin Keller was released from his hostage situation and has 4 catches for 61 yards. He's playing creative between the 20s, and physical in the red zone. Can't ask for much more out of him.
2) For some reason, the O-line always has bigger holes for Greene, but he's looked very good with 8 carries for 44 and a TD. Haven't had to think about penalties too much on the offensive end because there was only 1 accepted by the Bears on Turner. Overall, offense looks the best it has in weeks.
3) I am genuinely worried about the defense not getting any pressure on Cutler with the exception of Harris getting there late a few times, and once from Ellis. The only sack was completely Cutler's fault for not getting rid of it. The secondary is playing out of their minds right now, and Cutler has rightfully begun to check down to Forte (who we'll have difficulty covering) and his tights ends Davis and Olsen.
4) The Bears borderline completely abandoned the run towards the end of the half, which isn't looking good for them because Cutler's only good throw was the lob on the wheel route to Forte. His INT was him in a nutshell. Thinking his arm could make a throw that wasn't even there.
5) I understand kicking away from Hester, but these guys are getting outstanding field position every drive, on the 35 or better each drive I would say. Obviously you don't to give up the HR, but by doing that, you give up doubles every time. I honestly don't think the Bears can put together a long drive.
24 points by the Jets at half is great, 17 by the Bears not so much despite the fact that the Jets D has looked very good with the exception of 2 or 3 plays. Let's see if the team can close this out on the road.
Predictions for the Game, besides the Jets winning.
About an hour out from game time, so it's time to throw a few predictions around for how I think this is going to go.
1) I think we have the Sausage covered, but Peppers gets at least 1.5 sacks. All they need to do is line him up over Robert Turner. Hopefully Sanchez is mobile today.
2) Schotty is Dr. Jekyll today. It seems like when he calls a good game, he gets on a streak. Remember last year in the playoffs? Masterpiece against the Bengals, conservative but effective against the Chargers, unheralded very creative 1st half playcalling against Colts. If i had to say what category today will fall into, I'd say #2, lots of running, Sanchez not getting over 25 attempts with the cranky shoulder.
3) Revis gets his first pick today. Jay Cutler is stubborn beyond belief regardless of how good a DB is, just ask DeAngelo Hall. Everybody has been staying away from Revis because it looks like he's back in shape. Cutler won't, Revis gets a pick. I say Cutler gets two on the day.
4) Neither field goal kicker will be perfect. It's called the Windy City for a reason, anything beyond 40-42 yards is a coin flip. Folk and Gould both aren't that great.
5) Keller catches his first TD since the Reagan administration. At least it seems like it's been that long. He's too good to be out of the game plan for this long. He has at least 3 catches for 45.
Score: Jets 20 Bears 14. Let's do this.
1) I think we have the Sausage covered, but Peppers gets at least 1.5 sacks. All they need to do is line him up over Robert Turner. Hopefully Sanchez is mobile today.
2) Schotty is Dr. Jekyll today. It seems like when he calls a good game, he gets on a streak. Remember last year in the playoffs? Masterpiece against the Bengals, conservative but effective against the Chargers, unheralded very creative 1st half playcalling against Colts. If i had to say what category today will fall into, I'd say #2, lots of running, Sanchez not getting over 25 attempts with the cranky shoulder.
3) Revis gets his first pick today. Jay Cutler is stubborn beyond belief regardless of how good a DB is, just ask DeAngelo Hall. Everybody has been staying away from Revis because it looks like he's back in shape. Cutler won't, Revis gets a pick. I say Cutler gets two on the day.
4) Neither field goal kicker will be perfect. It's called the Windy City for a reason, anything beyond 40-42 yards is a coin flip. Folk and Gould both aren't that great.
5) Keller catches his first TD since the Reagan administration. At least it seems like it's been that long. He's too good to be out of the game plan for this long. He has at least 3 catches for 45.
Score: Jets 20 Bears 14. Let's do this.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Quick Hits and Questions vs. the Bears
Well the deserved hangover from a well-played game in Pittsburgh has worn off, and now it's time to start talking about the Jets next game against the newly crowned NFC North champs, the Chicago Bears. A team that played in the elements last night, and looked very good doing it, lambasting the Minnesota Vikings 40-14 in a game that wasn't even as close as the score indicates. A couple of quick hits on the Bears:
1) They're road warriors, just like the Jets. Which actually bodes well for Sanchez and company because they're a very pedestrian 4-3 at home.
2) When they lose, it's because their quarterback gets back into that gunslinger mentality. In wins, Jay Cutler has 19 TDs and 6 INTs. In losses, those numbers switch to 1 and 7 respectively. His QB rating is a night and day difference of 106.7 and 52.6 in wins and losses.
3) This Bears defense is built on stopping the run (3rd best run defense) and bending but not breaking on the pass (14th pass defense). They mainly employ zone coverages, and their base pass defense is a Tampa 2. This will be a much better pass defense than last week in Pittsburgh where they were missing their game breaker.
4) The receiving corps is like a poor man's version of the Philadelphia Eagles. Knox and Hester are both absolute burners. This does present the opportunity for the big play, but personally I'll take that over a predictable and surgically precise passing offense such as the Patriots any day. With Cromartie and Revis, the Jets definitely have the horses to keep up in a track meet, but if they do get beat deep, there's no question Cutler has the arm strength to get it to them.
And a few questions for the Jets.
1) Can the pass rush get to Jay Cutler?
It's become apparent that the Jets defensive line doesn't get much pressure at all, but this may be the worst pass blocking offensive line they've faced all year. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz has put a lot more short 3 step drops into the game plan to help combat their deficiencies, but that doesn't change the fact that Cutler has been sacked an amazing 44 times this year. Cutler does have a tendency to hold onto the ball too long, so with some good coverage by Cromartie, Revis, and Coleman, maybe they can force Cutler into some sacks and bad decisions.
2) Will the Bears acknowledge Greg Olsen's existence?
Similar to Dustin Keller, Olsen had a strong start to the season and has been almost completely silent since. Olsen is the EXACT type of player that gives this defense fits without Jim Leonhard. A tall, strong, fast tight end is a chess piece that we don't have a counter for. Hernandez and Gronkowski killed us, the resurgent Todd Heap had 6 catches for 72 yards in week 1, even Joel Dreesen had 106 yards and a TD. Scott is not great in pass coverage, Harris is usually worse. Dwight Lowery maybe? The best thing is to just hope that Mike Martz forgets about Olsen, as he has done for the past four weeks, or else the defense could be in for a long day of mismatches.
3) Can Sanchez figure out the Bears' zone coverages?
For the most part, the Bears prefer to matchup in a zone defense on passing plays. Whether it be the Tampa 2, which is what they're most associated with, or a Cover 3, they like to throw sophisticated zone packages at a QB and give up paper cuts instead of risking the big play. Some quarterbacks have cracked the safe this year (See Brady, Tom), but it will take patience going through his progressions for Sanchez to find the pockets of space that are naturally there in any zone defense. From what I saw, the game plan was heavily simplified by Schottenheimer to quick drops and rollouts to pick up short gains. That west coast style of passing attack would be a perfect fit against this defense which is prone to giving up 5-6 yard gains through the air.
4) Can the Jets run it?
As I mentioned before, this is the 3rd ranked rushing defense in the NFL. We are supposedly a "ground and pound team", and for the first time in about a month we proved it this past Sunday. Even though the team only ran the ball 23 times total, LT showed what he can do when he gets some holes and had 11 carries for 49 yards. This is absolutely key to keeping pressure off of the quarterback, being able to sell the play action, and making sure the run/pass balance is where you want it. Mark my words, if Mark Sanchez throws more than 30 passes in this game, I don't see us winning. So hopefully Schotty sticks with the run, and hopefully the O-line is able to execute like last week.
More coming later in the week.
1) They're road warriors, just like the Jets. Which actually bodes well for Sanchez and company because they're a very pedestrian 4-3 at home.
2) When they lose, it's because their quarterback gets back into that gunslinger mentality. In wins, Jay Cutler has 19 TDs and 6 INTs. In losses, those numbers switch to 1 and 7 respectively. His QB rating is a night and day difference of 106.7 and 52.6 in wins and losses.
3) This Bears defense is built on stopping the run (3rd best run defense) and bending but not breaking on the pass (14th pass defense). They mainly employ zone coverages, and their base pass defense is a Tampa 2. This will be a much better pass defense than last week in Pittsburgh where they were missing their game breaker.
4) The receiving corps is like a poor man's version of the Philadelphia Eagles. Knox and Hester are both absolute burners. This does present the opportunity for the big play, but personally I'll take that over a predictable and surgically precise passing offense such as the Patriots any day. With Cromartie and Revis, the Jets definitely have the horses to keep up in a track meet, but if they do get beat deep, there's no question Cutler has the arm strength to get it to them.
And a few questions for the Jets.
1) Can the pass rush get to Jay Cutler?
It's become apparent that the Jets defensive line doesn't get much pressure at all, but this may be the worst pass blocking offensive line they've faced all year. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz has put a lot more short 3 step drops into the game plan to help combat their deficiencies, but that doesn't change the fact that Cutler has been sacked an amazing 44 times this year. Cutler does have a tendency to hold onto the ball too long, so with some good coverage by Cromartie, Revis, and Coleman, maybe they can force Cutler into some sacks and bad decisions.
2) Will the Bears acknowledge Greg Olsen's existence?
Similar to Dustin Keller, Olsen had a strong start to the season and has been almost completely silent since. Olsen is the EXACT type of player that gives this defense fits without Jim Leonhard. A tall, strong, fast tight end is a chess piece that we don't have a counter for. Hernandez and Gronkowski killed us, the resurgent Todd Heap had 6 catches for 72 yards in week 1, even Joel Dreesen had 106 yards and a TD. Scott is not great in pass coverage, Harris is usually worse. Dwight Lowery maybe? The best thing is to just hope that Mike Martz forgets about Olsen, as he has done for the past four weeks, or else the defense could be in for a long day of mismatches.
3) Can Sanchez figure out the Bears' zone coverages?
For the most part, the Bears prefer to matchup in a zone defense on passing plays. Whether it be the Tampa 2, which is what they're most associated with, or a Cover 3, they like to throw sophisticated zone packages at a QB and give up paper cuts instead of risking the big play. Some quarterbacks have cracked the safe this year (See Brady, Tom), but it will take patience going through his progressions for Sanchez to find the pockets of space that are naturally there in any zone defense. From what I saw, the game plan was heavily simplified by Schottenheimer to quick drops and rollouts to pick up short gains. That west coast style of passing attack would be a perfect fit against this defense which is prone to giving up 5-6 yard gains through the air.
4) Can the Jets run it?
As I mentioned before, this is the 3rd ranked rushing defense in the NFL. We are supposedly a "ground and pound team", and for the first time in about a month we proved it this past Sunday. Even though the team only ran the ball 23 times total, LT showed what he can do when he gets some holes and had 11 carries for 49 yards. This is absolutely key to keeping pressure off of the quarterback, being able to sell the play action, and making sure the run/pass balance is where you want it. Mark my words, if Mark Sanchez throws more than 30 passes in this game, I don't see us winning. So hopefully Schotty sticks with the run, and hopefully the O-line is able to execute like last week.
More coming later in the week.
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