Three straight losses is going to equal disaster for any pro sports team, especially in a league like the NFL, where the regular season consists of only 16 match-ups. I had a really clear strategy regarding who should be our starting QB this year.
All things being equal (which they were this preseason) I would have gone with Kellen Clemens. Why? First of all, he is four years deep in our current offensive system. Secondly, he is expendable. I would have given him six to eight games. If we were below .500 by the bye week we could make the move to bring up the rookie. If Kellen was getting the job done, Sanchez would remain a quality back up and major trade bait in the future.
I expressed my view on August 26th after our pre-season game vs. the Ravens ( My post about Sanchez being named the starter )
Schottenheimer knows how this works because he went through a very similar situation in San Diego with Brees and Rivers. By starting Sanchez, if things start to fall apart you have no plan B. We have little choice but to stick with a struggling rookie. It is very possible that his confidence could be destroyed by a few more disastrous performances, especially in the spotlight that is NYC pro sports.
Even Eli Manning, with his pedigree and #1 overall draft position, didn't start from day one. I stand by what I have said since free agency started back in March. If we would have pursued Jeff Garcia and he was our signal caller we could be easily 4-2 or 5-1 right now. And again, if things didn't work out we would have always been able to ease Sanchez in after the bye and get him some playing time.
I predicted our record to be 4-2 after 6 games with losses to the Pats and Saints. We are 3-3 and dropped two games to division rivals. I feel confident that we will split the season series with all of our AFC East mates. The next two games will give us a clear indicator of what we can expect for the rest of the season. Oakland is one of the worst teams in the NFL. Playing in their house is never an easy task, but we should be very hungry and we certainly have a lot to prove.
A big win over the Raiders and a nice vengeful beat down of the Dolphins should calm the Jets Nation. If we are 5-3 heading into the bye week, and Sanchez doesn't drop anther 10 picks over the next two weeks, there will be some hope in Florham Park. On the other hand, if we drop even one of the next two I expect chaos and panic.
We are a good quality team that has a lot of talented players. Or coaching staff is also high quality. However, when your top coach and top player on the field are rookies, you will lose a few games you should win. Our backs are against the wall. I believe that Rex and Mark are high character guys and they will step up. We will know shortly if we have a championship nucleus that can handle the bright lights of the big city, or if Rex and is rookie are in over their heads.
Our defense continues to be my concern. They are a cocky group with a bunch of high profile players. Revis is probably the best CB in the league right now. Harris and Scott should be the best pair of ILB's anywhere, and of coarse #25 is a legend... in his own mind. This talented group needs to understand that if we are going to make it work with a rookie QB they need to be absolutely dominate every week.
Three things need to happen consistently. Number one...Our defense needs to hold teams to under 17 points, which they have shown they are capable of. Number two, they need to respond after a turnover by our offense. If #6 throws a pick, we can't let the other team march down the field and score a touchdown. The drive from the other team will mess with Sanchez's head more that the actual turnover. If our offense cough's it up, the defense needs to get the ball back.
Finally, the third and most important thing that we need from our defense is scores. Yes, this defense needs to score TD's if we are going to win with a rookie coach and QB. I would like to see Rex come out and challenge his defense publicly regarding this. His Ravens defense provided endless turnovers and scores. It's time for his new squad to live up to these very high standards.
I know the loss of Big Jenks is going to damage our struggling defense in more than one way. We lose the best overall DT in football on the field, but his presence off the field and in the locker room will be missed just as much. This guy is a real leader.
As he was writhing on the field with a torn ACL Sunday, he was still talking to his teammates. He was telling them to stay focused and not to let the game slip away. How many players would be concerned about anything but their own well being if they were laid out with a potentially career ending injury?
I hope he will make it back next year. As a fan I will always welcome a guy like #77 back with open arms. He's a rare man in many ways. There isn't much talent available on the free agent market right now, so the guys we have now need to step up. Sione Pouha has been on our roster for years. He is also injury prone, but when healthy he can be a force. Ryan also mentioned Mike Devito as a possible contributor at DT. I'm not very encouraged if our hope as fans needs to be placed on the shoulders of these two players.
I harped on our lack of talent and depth in regards to our D-line all offseason. I pointed out many times that Jenkins has a long history of injuries and we need to have a back up plan. Now we have no answers and the NFL season waits for no one. It's all about Murphy's Law with our beloved NY Jets. What a time for #77 to go down, less tan 48 hours before the trade deadline.
With all of these issues facing the green and white, I hope to hear about only one thing from our coaches and players. The Oakland Raiders and the task at hand. A pair of wins over the next couple of weeks will help to right the ship. Like Rex said in his press conference this week: "We only need to win one game a week, that isn't too much to ask. We will take it one week at a time and add them up at the end."
Thats a winning formula! Keep the faith Jets fans!
No comments:
Post a Comment