Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Lucky Win Yields "Same Old Jets"

These 2008 New York Jets tried their best to give the hapless Buffalo Bills the game Sunday but Dick Jauron and the Bills just didn't want to take it. Jauron decided to overrule his offensive coordinator and change a call late in the game and have quarterback J.P. Losman roll out and attempt a pass rather than continue to do what was working and eat up the clock by running the ball. The whole game Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson ran on the Jets like O.J. Simpson running from the cops. They were unstoppable rushing for 158 yards combined on 28 carries, and all Jauron had to do was hand it to one of them just before the 2 minute warning and get one more first down to win. By now you know what happened instead; Abram Elam knocks the ball loose from Losman and Shaun Ellis scoops it up and rolls like a joint into the endzone for the winning TD and the first of his career. Give Ellis a big bong hit, he earned it! But all this win is gonna do is prolong and postpone the agony. These 2008 Jets are headed on a flight to nowhere quick. I could already see the final game of the season for the AFC East, against Chad Pennington's Miami Dolphins, being set up as the big letdown weeks ago, and now it looms just around the corner. Same Old Jets on the way. This Jets Fan is so used to it by now I actually expect it!

Brett Favre and the Jets offense looked pretty good this game, but as in all of the Jets losses this season, and some wins, they failed in one or two of the facets of the game; this time it was a porous run defense (a recurring theme this year) and poor special teams play. It always seems to be that way with the Jets this season; if the offense plays well they blow it on defense or special teams, if the defense plays well (not often, but sometimes) they blow it with missed plays and mistakes on offense. They owe this win to lady luck and bad coaching, they'll take it and deny the truth; that they deserved to lose this one.

The potential is there, as seen in the five game winning streak, especially the wins against New England and Tennesee. All they have to do is put the winning teams (offense, defense, and special teams) out on the field consistently these last two games (and in the...dare I say it...Playoffs!). But all of us Long Time Jets Fans know what's in store for us in one way or another. Here come the "Same Old Jets"...get ready for the holidays!


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Friday, December 5, 2008

Jets Crash Should Be Wake Up Call

So the NY Jets finally crashed against the Denver Broncos after flying high on a five game winning streak ending in Tennessee against the previously unbeaten Titans. Really, losing is probably just what the Jets needed to wake them back up for the last four games of the regular season. Even though they claim their heads were not swollen from the five game winning streak it's gotta be hard to not be a little over confident going in to a game like the Denver Broncos game. They seemed to be a good match with the Broncos poor rushing defense and the Jets recent success at the running game; Thomas Jones has already rushed for over 1000 yards in 12 games. But the Jets went in with a bad game plan and failed to adjust after the half, and Brett Favre and the receivers regressed to their early season problems of not being on the same page, and the defense failed to put enough pressure on Jay Cutler or stop Denver's weak running game. It really boiled down to fundamentals: poor tackling, bad game plan, penalties, turnovers, poor play calling. Now the New York Jets need to do some soul searching and turn things back around against an inferior but Mike Singletary motivated San Fransisco 49ers team. Hopefully Mangini went back to stressing those fundamentals in practice this week so that the Jets don't blow another game on the west coast. So far they're 0-2 on the west coast this season, losing big against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football and losing to a terrible Oakland Raiders team in overtime in a game they should have dominated. Following that game came their five game winning streak in which they seemed to build steam because of that Raiders loss. The NY Jets need to use the Broncos loss for the same kind of inspiration and go back to playing mistake free football and it needs to start this week in San Fransisco.