Week 4 New York Jets Team Grades

bleacherreport.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

September 29^th, 2013

Week 4 New York Jets Team Grades

The New York Jets suffered a tough loss in Tennessee against the Titans on Sunday, and with the loss fall to (2-2) on the season. It wasn’t a very pretty game for Gang Green especially on the offensive side of the ball, and their poor protection of the ball was well indicated on the scoreboard.

Passing Offense Grade: (D)

The passing offense was rough to watch in this game, as rookie Quarterback Geno Smith looked very much like a rookie against the Titans defense. The main problem for Smith in the loss was the turnovers, as he had two interceptions and two fumbles, which really put the Jets defense in a tough spots. Smith finished throwing for 289 yards on 23 for 34 passing with one touchdown. The only bright spot for the Jets passing offense was the production for the Tight End position, as Kellen Winslow caught six passes for 73 yards, and Jeff Cumberland caught the 34-yard touchdown pass from Smith in the fourth quarter.

New York Jets Week 3 Team Grades

sfgate.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

Week 3: Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets

Jets Team Grades

Passing Offense Grade (B+)

Jets Quarterback Geno Smith had his best game of his young career against the Buffalo Bills, as Smith threw for a career-high 331 yards passing on 16 for 29 passing with two passing touchdowns. The one downside for Smith in this game was the turnovers yet again, as he threw teo interceptions to former Jet Jim Leonard, and Kiko Alonso. The Jets receivers also had very good days along with Smith, as the Jets looked to actually have an explosive offense at points during this game. Santonio Holmes was the Jets leading reciever with five catches for 154 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown catch, which gave the Jets the lead in the fourth quarter. Stephen Hill also put together one of his better games as a Jet with three catches for 108 yards, and a 51-yard touchdown.

Geno Struggles Against Patriots

By Ryan McDonald(@RonnieMac90)

The Jets fell to 1-1 on the season after a 13-10 lost to the Patriots in Foxborough Thursday night. It was a mistake filled night for both teams but the Patriots made less.

It was a missed opportunity for the Jets, as Tom Brady looked anything but his normal self. Brady missed numerous throws early on, overthrowing a touchdown pass to Edelman. Combined with the rookie receivers the Patriots had out there which resulted in numerous drops and miscommunications, it was anything but the normal passing attack we've come to expect from the Patriots. However, even with all of the Patriots offensive problems, the Jets couldn't capitalize.

The young rookie Geno Smith looked like a rookie, throwing for 3 interceptions, all in the fourth quarter. One interception was the result of a bad decision by Geno to throw into coverage while the Jets were in field goal range. The other two interceptions were the result of poorly thrown balls late in the fourth quarter. It's definitely a setback for Geno, but there are other factors that largely contributed to the Jets loss.

There were some positives for the Jets in this game. Mainly, they were able to find their running game. Against Tampa Bay in week 1, the Jets were not able to run the ball at all. That changed against the Pats as Chris Ivory rushed 12 times for 52 yards and Bilal Powell rushed 13 times for 48 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, the Jets went away from the running game in the 2nd half. Even though the Jets were only down a field goal, offensive coordinator Marty Morthinweg decided to go with more a pass heavy attack. It didn't work and Marty wasn't able to provide help for his rookie quarterback in playcalling.

It was an ugly game, and ended ugly with a scuffle breaking out after Geno's last interception. Two Jets offensive linemen, Willie Colon and D'Brickishaw Ferguson were ejected and fined heavily by the NFL for their actions during the scuffle. Luckily, they will not be suspended.

Next up for the New York Jets are the Buffalo Bills at MetLife. Both teams are 1-1 with one loss in the division.

W2W4: New York Jets vs New England Patriots Week 2

nydailynews.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

September 12^th, 2013

W2W4: New York Jets vs New England Patriots Week 2

The New York Jets will be heading up to New England for a Thursday night game against the Patriots, who like the Jets had a close last second win in Week 1, as New England was able to defeat the Buffalo Bills on a Field Goal by Stephen Gostkowski.

- Geno's Encore

Geno Smith had a pretty good NFL debut earning his first victory as a NFL Quarterback on Sunday against the Buccaneers, and on Thursday night he will be getting his first taste of the big rivalry between the Jets and Patriots. In Week 1 Geno threw for 256 yards on 24 for 38 passing, with a touchdown pass, as it was clear that the Jets didn’t mind letting Geno lose in Week 1 showing confidence in their rookie QB. Geno did however have two turnovers in the game, as he fumbled and threw an interception, which is something he will have to continue to work on. Maybe most impressively about Week 1 for Smith was his ability to run the football, as he extended a few drives on good runs, and finished with 47 rushing yards on six carries.

Jets Take Advantage of Bucs Mistakes

By Ryan McDonald (@RonnieMac90)

The New York Jets defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18-17 on Sunday. Nick Folk kicked a game winning 48 yard field goal after the Jets capitalized on Lavonte David's personal foul penalty. As Geno Smith ran out of bounds, David unneccessarily pushed him, drawing a 15 yard penalty which put the Jets in field goal range with 7 seconds left.

-Positives:

The Jets defense picked up where they left off last season, stiffling the Bucs offense. They held Doug Martin to 24 rushes for 65 yards. Josh Freeman completed less than 50% of his passes for 210 yards. This is the type of defensive performance the Jets would like to see every game but it's worth noting that the Bucs offense didn't look stellar to begin with.

Geno Smith started and won his first NFL game. Smith went 24-38 with 256 yards and one touchdown and interception. Smith also scrambled 6 times for 47 yards, which made him the Jets leading rusher. Smith wasn't known for his running ability but he proved he could gain some yards if left unattended. Smith did seem to struggle with pressure but what rookie doesn't, with experience he'll hopefully get used to it. It's also worth noting that the Bucs secondary, with Revis, looks to be one of the best in the league.

Kellen Winslow recorded 7 catches for 79 yards. Winslow was Geno's favorite target as he was targetted 8 times. Winslow played well, and was able to separate himself from the Bucs linebackers fairly easily. It's a good sign and as long as Winslow stays healthy they'll have a satisfactory receiving tight end.

-Negatives:

One of the question marks to begin the season was the running game of the Jets. After week 1, those questions remain. Geno Smith, their rookie quarterback, was their leading rusher. Bilal Powell ran the ball 12 times for 29 yards and Chris Ivory had 10 rushes for 15 yards. The Jets could be one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL this season. It certainly doesn't bold well for Rex Ryan's mentality of ground and pound. This will also put additional pressure on rookie quarterback Geno Smith.

Santonio Holmes only caught one pass for 13 yards in the entire game. Holmes simply didn't look the same as he used to pre-injury. He was only targetted 3 times, and couldn't lose his defender often. Hopefully Holmes will improve with time.

Antonio Cromartie struggled against Vincent Jackson. Jackson had 7 catches for 154 yards and beat Cromartie for big plays on 3rd down especially. It's a glaring concern as Cromartie is now the Jets best cover corner and if he cannot take away the opposition's best receiver, it will be a long season. Cromartie did well last year as the Jets best corner after Darrelle Revis went down. It was hoped he could repeat that performance, but he is off to a shaky start.

-Expectations:

Geno looked much better than expected giving hope to Jets fans everywhere. However, this isn't the team that dragged Sanchez to two AFC title games. The talent around Geno simply isn't there. Geno doesn't have the weapons around him like Sanchez did in 2009, nor the running attack. If the defense doesn't hold the opposing team to under 20 every game, it's going to be a long season.

The Jets play at the New England Patriots on Thursday.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs New York Jets Recap

By Ryan McDonald (@RonnieMac90)

On 8/17/13, The Jets defeated the Jaguars 37-13. Due to injuries to Geno Smith and Greg McElroy, Mark Sanchez played into the 3rd quarter of the game.

Sanchez started off well, leading the Jets to a touchdown on the first drive of the game. Sanchez completed all his passes and looked comfortable in the pocket on the drive. However, it wouldn't last as he threw a pick in the redzone on his 3rd possession. Then on a muffed punt by the Jaguars, Sanchez and the Jets started on the Jaguars 5 at the end of the half but could not score on 4 plays. Sanchez scrambled for far too long on the last play and time expired so the Jets could not kick a field goal.

Sanchez finished the game 13-23 for 169 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. The starting quarterback position still remains an open competition due to Sanchez's miscues.

The Jets running game was effective against the Jaguars as well. Bilal Powell had 7 rushes for 68 yards and the offensive line caused huge holes for Jets runners. Chris Ivory who has been dealing with hamstring issues lately played in his first preseason game. Ivory did look slow and rusty, 6 rushes for 13 yards.

A new problem for the Jets may be their defense. Blaine Gabbert picked them apart completing 13-16 passes for 165 yards and a TD. The Jets couldn't muster any pressure on Gabbert and the Jets corners couldn't lockdown any of the Jaguars receivers one on one. It's worth noting the Jaguars came out in a no-huddle offense which took everyone by surprise including the Jets.

Another problem for the Jets defense is the loss of Quinton Coples for 3-5 weeks with a broken ankle. Coples was the Jets first round pick last year and was slotted to start as Outside Linebacker last year. Coples looks doubtful for the season opener againt Tampa Bay.

The Jets will hopefully name a starting quarterback after their 3rd preseason game against the Giants. It was suspected that the Jets would name their starter after their game against the Jaguars, but Geno's injury seems to have delayed these plans.