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Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tebow If anyone's reading, I like the Jets' trade for Tim Tebow a lot. It is a low risk/high reward trade. Tebow can open up the offense and help make big plays, and also be an asset near the goal line. It is baffling how the same people who criticized the Jets for not bringing Brad Smith back after the 2010 season would complain about acquiring Tebow. While Tebow does not return kickoffs, he is a far more dynamic offensive player than Smith - who has four career complete passes in five NFL seasons. Sunday, January 15, 2012
Exhaustion and Victory I firmly believe that any man's finest hour - his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear - is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious. -Vince Lombardi Monday, January 02, 2012
Jets Post-Mortem Some thoughts on the 2011 Jets: 1. Mark Sanchez regressed into Chad Pennington without the accuracy. This is an indictment of the Jets coaching staff - including Rex Ryan. Sanchez was too worried about making mistakes - yet made lots of them anyway. He rarely threw downfield, repeatedly checking down to running backs or throwing the ball away. 2. The losses of Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery were significant. Ironically neither Edwards nor Cotchery had any success with their new teams. 3. The Plaxico Burress experiment was, overall, a failure. Burress is now really a #3 WR. He's an okay possession receiver who is primarily valuable in the red zone. He's not a #2 because he cannot separate from defenders and when he does catch the ball, is usually tackled right away. 4. Santonio Holmes was utilized very poorly. Like many WRs, his frustrations about not getting the damn ball eventually exploded. 5. Wayne Hunter was terrible, as was the lack of depth on the offensive line which was a disaster when Nick Mangold missed a few games. 6. D’Brickashaw Ferguson was mediocre, regressing from 2009 and 2010. 7. The jury is still out on Shonn Greene. He does not appear to be the #1 RB that the Jets thought he was after the 2009 playoffs, but he still is part of the future. 8. It's time for LaDainian Tomlinson to retire. He might have some value as a 3rd string RB, but overall the Jets need to give their younger, speedier RBs more opportunities. 9. Dustin Keller is still inconsistent. 10. On defense, the poor tackling and inability to defend RBs and TEs was maddening. 11. At the start of the season, Rex Ryan said that the Jets are "stacked" at safety. In fact, the Jets are awful at the position. 12. It's time for Bart Scott and Calvin Pace to go. 13. Antonio Cromartie is still inconsistent. 14. Kyle Wilson appears to be the Jets latest bust at CB. 15. Aaron Maybin was a nice find, but was a non-factor late in the season. 16. Muhammad Wilkerson had a pretty good rookie season. 17. Nick Folk and TJ Conley are in the bottom tier at kicker and punter. 18. Ryan is way too much of a players coach. Someone needs to be the bad cop. 19. The Jets in recent years have been too top heavy, with around 10 high salary players taking up most of the cap room, resulting in too many starters who are just not talented enough. The Jets need to start keeping their draft picks and bringing in younger, cheap talent. Tuesday, October 11, 2011
The Terror Surrender Travesty Israel's freeing hundreds of mass murderers is a disgrace. I've written previously on the topic: Israel's Release Of 1,000 Terrorists No To The Freeing Of Hundreds Of Murderers The Olmert Government's Final Act Of Madness Sunday, October 09, 2011
Week 5 1. The Jets have an amazing knack for throwing four yard passes on 3rd and 6; two yard passes on 3rd and 3, etc. It is incredible that in his third season, Mark Sanchez is still not allowed to throw downfield. 2. Sanchez is out of sync with his WRs, and now even Dustin Keller isn't doing much. Clearly, getting rid of Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery has worked out poorly. 3. The defense simply could not get a stop when they needed to. They are totally clueless against the run, and the secondary continues to accumulate penalties. 4. Ultimately, the Jets were beaten by a better team today. The reality is that the Jets are just not very good. Monday, September 12, 2011
Week 1 1. For the first time since the early 90's, I watched a Jets home opener on TV at home. This is the type of game the Jets rarely win, and wins are good in the short NFL season. Yet the Jets' performance is cause for concern. 2. On offense, the line was terrible in both run blocking and pass protection. Wayne Hunter was particularly awful. Mark Sanchez seems to always get off to terrible starts. Derrick Mason didn't look good. I thought generally that the offense missed Braylon Edwards, who should have been brought back. LaDainian Tomlinson was very good in the passing game. To their credit, the Jets abandoned the run (perhaps by necessity due to the score) and let Mark Sanchez throw the ball. 3. The defense came out completely flat, similar to the AFC Championship loss. The Jets' linebackers still can't defend against the pass. Antonio Cromartie came up very small last night. 4. Special teams won the game for the Jets. The blocked punt for a TD tied the game, and Nick Folk - who I'm not a big fan of - deserves kudos for his game winning field goal. 5. Unlike me, Al Michaels was around in 1968. But last night he incorrectly identified Buddy Ryan - rather than Walt Michaels - as the Jets' defensive coordinator during their Super Bowl season. Friday, June 03, 2011
Gary Carter I was thrilled when the Mets acquired Gary Carter, and was a big fan of his during his five seasons with the Mets. Both Carter and the Mets deserve some blame for his recent distance from the franchise. The Mets tend to be aloof toward some of their former stars - so much so that David Cone and Al Leiter are now regarded as Yankees. In Carter's case, while he seems like a great guy, he has said some dumb things over the years. Carter's current medical situation is very sad and unfortunate - but not itself a reason for the Mets to now retire his number, as a growing number of commentators are demanding. If the Mets want to retire the numbers of both Carter and Keith Hernandez, it would be fine with me. But both are borderline cases - with Hernandez slightly more deserving of the honor than Carter. Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Netanyahu's Response Rahm Emanuel is well known to have said that "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." For nearly 11 years, Israel's position vis a vis the Palestinians had continually eroded. Until 2000, it was well known that Israel would not divide Jerusalem, would not return to the 1949-1967 armistice lines, and would need to maintain a security line in the Jordan Valley. Ehud Barak's egregious concessions at Camp David, and his even more egregious concessions at Taba, put an end to the Israeli consensus on its red lines. Despite the fact that just weeks after Taba, Israeli voters deposed Barak in a landslide in favor of Ariel Sharon, the world deemed Barak's offer to be the starting point for any future negotiations. Last Thursday, President Obama pushed too far, trying to surprise and box in Prime Minister Netanyahu by declaring the '49 armistice lines the basis for negotiations - thereby expressly adopting the Palestinian position. In successfully pushing back at the Oval Office, before AIPAC, and today in Congress, Netanyahu has finally put a stop - at least for now - to the never-ending increasing demands placed upon Israel - and only Israel. The extraordinarily warm reception given to Netanyahu in Congress, and the supportive speech by Harry Reid at the AIPAC conference, demonstrate that while Obama may not be understanding of Israeli concerns, the American people and their congressional representatives are. The erstwhile principle of secure borders for Israel and united Jerusalem have again been stated by Israel's leader. The last four days have been very good ones for those of us who support territorial compromise for real peace, but not endless appeasement. The Mets and the Wilpons Over the years I've been a critic of the Wilpon family's mishandling of the Mets. For that reason, I feel compelled for offer a defense of the Wilpons now. First, Fred Wilpon's quotes in the latest issue of New Yorker were fine with me. The media outrage is just meant for sensationalist purposes, nothing more. Second, the allegations against Wilpon and his business partners relating to the Madoff scandal are baseless. Wilpon is indeed a victim of an overzealous trustee, whose law firm stands to make hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees. Yet while I sympathize with the Wilpons, it is now time for them to sell the Mets - and not just a minority interest in the team. Ownership of a major league baseball team is for the very rich. I am a Mets fan and would also like to own the team, but I cannot afford to. Nor can the Wilpons. While they are still wealthy by most standards, the Wilpons are dealing with very serious financial issues that have virtually eliminated their liquidity, as a result of which they cannot add payroll to make the Mets competitive. The only solution for the Wilpons and for the Mets is new ownership. Thursday, May 19, 2011
Obama's Speech President Obama's call for the formation of a Palestinian state on the purported "1967 borders" is a major setback for those who accept the principle of territorial compromise but demand Israel's right to secure and defensible borders. Prime Minister Netanyahu must now explain to Israelis, to Obama and to Congress why Israel cannot accept a withdrawal to what are actually the 1949 armistice lines. Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Project Between the NFL lockout and the last place Mets, I've had to find something to occupy my time. Here's a report in today's Jerusalem Post about what I've been up to: ‘Battle for Jerusalem’ to be made into feature film By DAVID BRINN 11/05/2011 Movie rights sold for book by former ‘Post’ staffer on 1967 War; screenplay to be written by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker. Will Tom Cruise don an eye patch, shave his head and portray Moshe Dayan? Forty-four years since the lightning battle for Jerusalem took place in 1967, there’s a chance that a feature film on the momentous days that changed the country forever will finally be made. American producers Joseph Schick and Jacob Septimus recently bought the film rights to The Battle for Jerusalem June 5-7, 1967, the authoritative book on the subject by former Jerusalem Post staffer Abraham Rabinovich – and they’ve retained Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Lior Geller to write the screenplay for the story Schick calls a “tremendous drama.” The book, which was originally published in 1972 (and revised in 1987 for a 20th anniversary edition), vividly reconstructs, via intensive interviews with over 300 participants, the events of the fateful days which led to Israel’s spectacular victory and the reunification of Jerusalem. “I’m a Six Day War buff, and have read almost every book in English on the subject. And I was uniquely struck by Abe’s book and the unbelievable stories that he uncovered as a reporter in Jerusalem during the war,” said Schick last week, while on a research visit to the capital from New York. Rabinovich, then a young reporter for an American newspaper – and aware that trouble was brewing in the Middle East – took a two-week vacation, and flew to Israel five days before the outbreak of the war. The combination of his youthful enthusiasm and lack of knowledge of the area, and the imminent danger, enabled him to serendipitously witness scenes and meet people that a seasoned reporter may have avoided, resulting in one of the best eyewitness accounts of the epic battle that changed the complexion of the region. For Schick, a practicing attorney, the reading and rereading of the book kept conjuring up ideas and themes for a movie. “I’ve always wanted to make two movies – one about the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, and one about Jerusalem in May and June of 1967. I always envisioned it as a period piece, that conveyed the experience of being in Jerusalem in May and June of 1967,” he said. While the baseball movie may have to wait, Schick’s reconnection after a 13-year lapse with an old Columbia Law School colleague, Jacob Septimus, set the wheels of the war movie into motion. The producer and director of several films, TV shows and commercials – including ABC specials on magician David Blaine and the feature length documentary B.I.K.E. – Septimus bought into the idea last year after meeting with Schick. The two partners then approached Rabinovich about acquiring the film rights to the book. “I sent Abe an e-mail, and then last summer came to Jerusalem and we met. After a short period of negotiations, we made a deal,” said Schick. “Abe gave some suggestions and offered his unique perspective, which is very helpful. This week, we drove around together to many of the locations in the battle – by the Rockefeller Museum, the Musrara neighborhood, Shmuel Hanavi – and he recounted some of the stories in the book.” Rabinovich said on Monday that he hadn’t provided the producers with any restrictions on how they package the movie or the script, but raised some doubt as to the feasibility of making an ‘objective’ film about the Six Day War. “It seems problematic to me. How can you make a movie like this without it seeming to be a propaganda piece?” said Rabinovich. “If it can be done, then it would be a contribution to the world, as it was an historic turning point. I wish them well, but I have nothing to do with the script.” That task falls to Geller, a Tel Aviv University graduate, whose short film Roads won 24 international awards, and earned Geller an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Student Film of 2008. After directing various television projects, earning a German Academy Award and Emmy nomination, Geller wrote the screenplay for Alone in Damascus, an upcoming feature film about Israeli spy Eli Cohen. “To the extent that telling the Israeli side of the story of 1967 is taking a political stand, then that’s something we’re doing and we’re not going to apologize for,” said Schick, adding that avoiding the implications of the Israeli victory was going to be tricky, but not insurmountable. “It’s acknowledged that the events of 1967 are the center of the entire political controversy in Israel today. We envision our movie ending in June or July, and we’ll leave to the audience to interpret what they saw and its implications for the next 44 years. We’re not demanding that our audience accept any political position – but at the same time, we’re not afraid to tell Israel’s side of the story,” he added. Synthesizing and whittling Rabinovich’s vast tome into a concise action movie will require careful and incisive decisions and direction, and Schick said that all energies are now going into creating the best possible script. Decisions about whether to hawk the script to a major US studio or go the “indie” route will only be discussed at a later point. “Our focus now is on making sure the story is great,” said Schick. “Our feeling is that if you don’t have a great script, you don’t have a great movie. It’s like the blueprint for a building. If it doesn’t work, the building will fall. “We think that Lior is the right person for the job,” he added. “One thing we all agree on is that we can’t tell the whole story. We’re not trying to make the definitive movie about the Six Day War. We want to tell a story. Until now, there hasn’t been a film that’s told the story of Jerusalem in May and June of 1967.” Another goal shared by the production team is to create a movie that will have mass appeal, not just to supporters of Israel or people interested in the region. “We want someone in Tulsa, Oklahoma to go see the movie because it’s a great story,” said Schick. “In 1967, this was on the cover of every magazine and newspaper, and names like Rabin and Dayan were household names in Middle America. Even if the political implications have changed since then, the basic story hasn’t – the unbelievable experience of the time and the people involved. We’ve been meeting people this week who were part of the events and it’s just fascinating. Our aim is to tell a great story.” With the riveting battle for Jerusalem, and Rabinovich’s book on the subject as their source material, they certainly are off to a good start. Monday, May 02, 2011
The Murder Of Osama bin Laden Convenient euphemisms like "targeted assasination" aside, the only accurate term for the extrajudicial killing of al Queda militant Osama bin Laden is murder. Not only will this pointless murder of a merely symbolic figure perpetuate the cycle of violence, it will also be a serious blow to al Queda's moderate wing - whom knowledgable observers credit with maintaining a ceasefire in the United States for nearly a decade. To be sure, al Queda and the United States have mutual greviances. The way to resolve those issues is at the negotiating table, not with missiles and gunfire. Peace is made with enemies, not friends. Violence merely begets more violence. Particularly in light of continued Israeli home construction in Jerusalem, the latest news from the Middle East is devastating to those of us who yearn for a two-state solution that will finally put an end to the conflict in the Middle East. Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Egypt I have been thinking and worrying a lot about the implications of the revolution in Egypt. Ultimately, I have little to add to the conversation. Nobody knows how this will all play out.
Monday, January 24, 2011
The New Generation of Jets Fans I'm on vacation in San Diego without computer access, so am unable to post in the comments - two of which described the disappointment of very young Jets fans. I too feel badly about seeing my six year old son's disappointment about the Jets' loss - especially after they had a chance in the 4th quarter. With the Jets down 24-0, he offered reasons why the Jets could come back - including the fact that last week the Seahawks put up a lot of points against the Bears after a horrible start. Despite the Seahawks loss, this convinced him that a Jets comeback was possible. I did my best to curb his hopes - as I had done all week when I taught him about the Jets' tortured history. However, I'm skeptical that the experience of being a Jets fan is any different for kids than that of being a fan of any other team that falls short in the playoffs. The children have not suffered through the tortured history - at least not yet. The Jets may still not be an elite team, but they haven't had back to back losing seasons since Rich Kotite. Of course in the end it's all about championships, and for longtime fans getting to within a game of the Super Bowl only adds to the misery of not having been there for 42 years. But it's doubtful that the children have a long-term perspective. They are highly unlikely to realize that yesterday may be the last time in their childhood that they even see the Jets in the AFC Championship. I know I didn't when the Jets lost the Mud Bowl to the Dolphins 28 years ago. Ultimately, the misgivings about raising young Jets fans comes down to the knowledge that the elusive Super Bowl may never come and that many seasons of disappointment are ahead. Sunday, January 23, 2011
Week 20 It is difficult to understand how a week after the victory against New England, the Jets could play so dreadfully during the first half - but that's how things are for them. They repeatedly missed tackles and allowed 3rd down conversions. On offense, their offensive line was totally outplayed by the Steelers' front seven. Although the Jets outplayed the Steelers during the second half, they continued their habit of having long drives without scoring points. On their 17 play eight minute drive, the play calling was excellent until they had first and goal at the 2. The 2nd down play on which the play call came very late was especially inexcusable; the 3rd and 4th down calls were also uninspired to say the least. While not quite as dramatic, this game was reminiscent of the 1981 wildcard loss to the Bills, in which the Jets fell behind 24-0 and then lost 31-27 on a Bills INT at the 2 yard line in the final seconds. My earliest Super Bowl memory is Pittsburgh over Dallas in Super Bowl XIII - a decade after the Jets' only appearance. While the possibility of the Jets playing in a Super Bowl for the first time in 42 years was exciting, longtime Jets fans knew to keep expectations modest. Perhaps one day there will be a Super Bowl in which the Jets play. Maybe we will even see them win a championship. Either way, every September, those of us who are die hard fans will be back suffering with the Jets. Monday, January 17, 2011
Week 19 1. The defense set the tone for last night's win. After David Harris ran out of gas during his 1st quarter INT return, the offense went three and out and Nick Folk missed a short field goal, the defense continued to confuse Tom Brady, finally sustaining consistent pressure together with strong coverage from the Jets' cornerbacks and safeties. 2. After a slow start, the offense recovered. Mark Sanchez received excellent pass protection and big plays from his wide receivers. The Jets finally scored touchdowns in the red zone. They did have a few second half drives stall, allowing New England to remain in the game. 3. Special teams was mixed. Especially with the AFC Championship at Heinz Field, Folk's miss renews concerns about him. After an excellent regular season, Steve Weatherford continued punting into the end zone for touchbacks. The Jets did stop the Patriots' fake punt, a huge play that led to the Jets second touchdown and completely changed the momentum at halftime. They also recovered both onside kicks - though the first one could have gone either way. 4. I was fortunate enough to attend the Jets' two prior second round victories, the '98 Jets win over the Jaguars and last year's victory over the Chargers. After both of those games, there was a feeling of elation. Two years after Rich Kotite, Bill Parcells had rebuilt the Jets to within a game of the Super Bowl. Last year, despite losing six of seven to fall to 4-6, and despite having a rookie quarterback, the Jets out of nowhere went to the AFC Championship. 5. For all of the hatred of the Patriots, I'm not feeling elation today. Just relief that the 2010 Jets' season has not ended. Playoff victories, even stunning upsets of New England, no longer suffice. The Jets now must do what the '82 Jets, the '98 Jets and the '09 Jets failed to do: Win the AFC Championship. And then they must win one more game. Sunday, January 09, 2011
Week 18 It's impossible not to be pleased about the Jets victory on the road against Peyton Manning's Colts. LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene were both excellent, allowing the Jets to score touchdowns on two long second half drives. Braylon Edwards had another strong performance. Darrelle Revis shut down Reggie Wayne, while Brodney Poole and Eric Smith were all around the ball. On special teams, Antonio Cromartie was fantastic filling in for Brad Smith, and Nick Folk kicked the winning field goal. There were some negatives last night. The Jets' offense simply left way too many potential points on the field during the first half tonight - inexplicably going into halftime scoreless. Mark Sanchez missed a number of open receivers and threw a terrible INT. Santonio Holmes dropped a key 3rd down pass. Cromartie gave up the long TD pass to Pierre Garcon and overall was mediocre against Garcon. (With the Jets' win, the third round pick they gave up for Cromartie has become a second rounder.) Steve Weatherford's punts kept going into the end zone for touchbacks - though the fault was not always with Weatherford. In the end, the game came down to the final seconds. Colts head coach Jim Caldwell called one of the dumbest timeouts in NFL history. Instead of a 50+ yard field goal that Folk would have probably missed, the Jets had a chance to move further downfield. And unlike the 2004 Jets vs. the Steelers, who settled for a long field goal attempt that Doug Brien missed as time expired in the 4th quarter, the 2010 Jets allowed Sanchez to find Edwards for 18 more yards, making Folk's kick a short one. Last night's performance will not be nearly good enough against the Patriots, who have far more talent than the injury depleted Colts. As for Sanchez, Jets fans must hope that his inaccuracy last night was just a case of him having a bad game, not - as was the case with Chad Pennington - a shoulder injury worse than disclosed. Sunday, January 02, 2011
Week 17 This was a meaningless game - except for the fact that it was my six year old son's first Jets game. He insisted on staying until the end, resulting in pretty bad post-game traffic. Hopefully, his experience as a Jets fan will be fun, as it was during today's win. I'd have preferred to play the Chiefs rather than the Colts, but #6 seeds don't get to pick their opponents. The Colts don't look too good, but they have won four in a row and their passing game remains potent - while the Jets pass defense remains their biggest weakness. Sunday, December 26, 2010
Week 16 UPDATE - DECEMBER 27: Rex Ryan now indicates that he will start Mark Sanchez against the Bills. That would be completely nuts. Not only should the Jets rest Sanchez, they should rest as many starters are possible. Their coaching staff should also prepare for the Chiefs and Colts rather than the Bills. Today's loss was probably the Jets' worst coaching performance in the Rex Ryan era. From the failed fake punt early in the 3rd quarter, to the dreadful defensive playcalling during the 3rd quarter, to the combination of very short kickoffs and a long kickoff to Devin Hester - all of which gave the Bears great field possession - to the punt to Hester, to the Jets' refusal to go for it on 4th down on two consecutive late 4th quarter drives, and to the continued neglecting of Shonn Greene in favor of a completely ineffective LaDainian Tomlinson - this loss is primarily the fault of the coaching staff. To be sure, the Jets were hurt by a very porous defense which displayed no pass rush, poor tackling and lousy coverage over the middle - as well as huge drops by Dustin Keller and Brad Smith and a fumble by Santonio Holmes. The Redskins just beat the Jaguars in overtime, resulting in a Jets wildcard berth. The Jets are locked in as the number 6 seed, making next week's game completely meaningless. With three losses in four games, and an inability to beat good teams throughout the season, it is difficult to be optimistic about the Jets' playoff chances. In particular, a first round playoff win will result in a second round visit to New England. Sunday, December 19, 2010
Week 15 This was a typically maddening Jets game. First the good: 1. The Jets won. 2. Brad Smith's touchdown return of the opening kickoff. 3. Braylon Edwards was superb. 4. Steve Weatherford's punting. 5. The offense sustained a number of drives. 6. After the Steelers took a 17-10 lead in the 3rd quarter, the Jets defense tightened until the final drive of the game. 7. Jason Taylor's forced safety. The not so good: 1. The defense on the Steelers final drive was awful. The 29 yard pass on 3rd and 24 was inexcusable. The Jets were very, very lucky to win. They are consistently awful on 3rd and long. They are also awful in zone coverage, yet played zone for most of the final drive. 2. The Jets looked poised to take a 14-0 lead when a reception by Santonio Holmes at the 5 yard line appeared to give them 1st and goal. But a Matt Slauson holding penalty negated the play and killed the drive. The Jets are wasting a lot of points due to penalties and drops. 3. The Steelers responded by going 96 yards on their next drive, and scoring 17 of 20 points to take a 17-10 lead. The defense gave up four 3rd down conversions on that drive. 4. The offensive package for Brad Smith doesn't work, because Smith is not allowed to ever throw the ball. 5. The playcalling and clock management on the final drive of the 1st half were terrible. There was no reason not to try to get into position for a field goal attempt. 6. Bart Scott is mediocre. He is usually seen mouthing off, pushing and shoving, or committing a dump penalty. He doesn't make many plays. Overall, a win on the road in Pittsburgh is something to be pleased about. Nevertheless, the Steelers last drive leaves a bad taste. Jets fans know that tonight could have easily been a terrible loss. It helped that Troy Polamalu and Heath Miller were injured. Thursday, December 16, 2010
Murder By Media For two years, the tabloid media have ridiculed and ripped to shreds the entire Madoff family for the crimes of Bernie Madoff. Now that this has resulted in the tragic suicide of Mark Madoff - leaving a wife and two small children - the very same media still won't stop ridiculing and ripping to shreds the entire Madoff family. I've long been disgusted by this, but it didn't seem meaningful for an obscure blogger to state his objection. Now, I wish I had. Sunday, December 12, 2010
Week 14 Jets fans have become accustomed to pathetic performances like the one displayed today. Mark Sanchez was careless and inaccurate. When he was accurate, his receivers dropped passes. The offensive line is doing nothing in either pass protection or run blocking. The playcalling is predictable. Shonn Greene was again used too little. The defense played well, with the exception of the TD reception by Brandon Marshall. Inexplicably, Marshall was covered by Bart Scott on that play. Miami consistently got great punts; to make matters worse, the Jets' returns were consistently bad. Monday, December 06, 2010
Week 13 The enigma that has been the 2010 Jets has been solved. Tonight's performance closely resembled the Monday Night disaster 24 years ago, when the 10-1 Jets were walloped 45-3 by the Dolphins. The '86 team did not win another regular season game, and blew a ten point lead against the Browns in the final minutes of the second round playoff game. For all of Rex Ryan's endless bluster, the Jets are lucky to be 9-3. Just one of their nine wins (week 2 vs. the Patriots) was against a team with a winning record. The Jets' soft schedule likely will get them into the playoffs, but they have been exposed as pretenders. Sunday, November 21, 2010
Week 11 Yet again, the Jets failed to play a full 60 minutes but still won. At 8-2, the Jets remain an enigma. They are off to their best start since 1986. But their performance raises concerns that an '86 like collapse could be just around the corner. The Jets were in total control early in the 4th quarter today, and while Shonn Greene's fumble was inexcusable, the defensive collapse is of more concern. Once again, the secondary seemed confused. While Brian Schottenheimer is closely scrutinized as offensive coordinator, it might be time to question defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. The defense was again not able to muster a pass rush. Calvin Pace has been especially disappointing. On special teams, Rob Turner took an awful unnecessary roughness penalty wiping out a nice return by Brad Smith just before the 2 minute warning, just after the Texans took a 24-23 lead. On offense, the Jets running game has slowed down considerably - though LaDainian Tomlinson has contributed in the short passing game. Dustin Keller needs to get back into sync with Mark Sanchez. Hopefully, the injury to Damien Woody is not serious. I don't know if the Jets can sign both Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards - but they had better try. Holmes is better, but Edwards is very good too. As much as Rex Ryan insists otherwise, the Jets have become a passing team. Sunday, November 14, 2010
Week 10 The Jets continue accumulating wins despite mediocre play. Led by Mark Sanchez, the offense made a number of plays but couldn't finish several drives. It didn't help that Nick Folk had a meltdown and appears to be back to his 2009 form. Shonn Greene finally carried the ball 20 times. Greene also looked good catching three passes. Santonio Holmes keeps making big plays. The defense was awful during the first half, and after making solid halftime adjustments, disappointingly gave up the tying TD in the final minute of the 4th quarter. Once again there wasn't much of a pass rush. Eric Smith looks lost. Ultimately, the Jets were lucky that Chansi Stuckey fumbled the ball in Jets territory during overtime. The coaching staff made a very dubious move letting the 4th quarter end despite the Jets having the ball, 32 seconds, and two timeouts. Eric Mangini had his team better prepared at the start, but the Browns foolishly tried to win the game with the ball at their own 3 late in overtime. Their first down incompletion set the stage for the Jets to get the ball back with 24 seconds left. Overall, this was a better performance than the recent wins over Denver and Detroit. The Browns are improving and play hard and physical. Still, the Jets need to do a lot better to be a legitimate contender. They certainly will need a much better performance from Folk, as well as a defense that plays a full game. | "
