New York Jets Week 11 Team Grades

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

Week 11: New York Jets Team Grades

November 17^th, 2013

Final Score: Jets 14 Bills 37

The New York Jets coming off a great win against the New Orleans Saints and a bye week headed up to Buffalo with a chance to separate themselves a bit in the Wilda Card standings, but laid a egg. The loss moves the Jets to (5-5) on the season, and (1-4) on the road now, but if the season ended today they would still have the sixth spot in the AFC Playoffs.

Passing Offense Grade (F)

The Jets passing offense was a total disaster on Sunday, as basically nothing went right. Geno Smith had a disaster of a game throwing for just 103 yards on eight for 23 passing with no touchdowns. The turnovers from Smith really did the Jets in during the game, as he lost one fumble, threw three interceptions, one of which was a pick six to Da'Norris Searcy, and the other two were to Jairus Byrd. The Offensive Line didn’t do a very good job protecting Smith either, as they allowed four sacks, two of which were from Kyle Williams. One good thing for the passing offense was that they got some weapons back for the playoff push, as Santonio Holmes, Kellen Winslow, and Jeff Cumberland were all back in the lineup. Matt Simms got some playing time late in the game and looked good in junk time throwing for 60 yards on four for six passing with a touchdown pass to Cumberland.

New York Jets Team Grades: Week 9

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

November 3^rd, 2013

Week 9 New York Jets Team Grades

The New York Jets up and down season stayed true in Week 9 against one of the better teams in the NFL. After a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8, the Jets bounced back with a great 26-20 win at home against the New Orleans Saints. The win puts the Jets at (5-4) on the season, which if the season ended today would be good enough for a spot in the AFC playoffs.

Passing Offense Grade (C-)

In the win on Sunday the Jets passing offense wasn’t asked to do much, but maybe most importantly Quarterback Geno Smith took what the Saints passing defense gave him and didn’t turn the ball over. Smith threw for just 115 yards on eight for 19 passing, but what cant be stressed enough is that he protected the football. The “Wildcat” offense showed a nice wrinkle, as Josh Cribbs threw his first pass as a Jet for 25 yards, which clearly caught the Saints off guard. A big loss for the Jets did happen to the Jets passing game in the second quarter, as Jeremy Kerley dislocated his elbow on what was a nasty looking injury, and will be out for a few weeks, but hasn’t been ruled out for the season. Two guys did step up for the depleted Jets receiving core, as Greg Salas had two catches for 57 yards, and Zach Sudfield had two catches for 46 yards. The bye week should allow for the Jets to get Santonio Holmes back, which should greatly help Smith.

Week 7 New York Jets Team Grades

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

October 20^th, 2013

Week 7 New York Jets Team Grades

The New York Jets were able to pull off a great win against their division rival New England Patriots on Sunday in an overtime thriller. The win moves the Jets to (4-3) on the season, which keeps them right in the hunt for a Wild Card spot in the AFC.

Passing Grade (B)

The passing offense was pretty good for the Jets in this game led by Quarterback Geno Smith, who in his second game against the Patriots played much better than he in the Week 2 loss. Smith did have one major mistake in the first quarter, as he threw a pick six to Logan Ryan when the Jets were driving. Smith did bounce back from his first quarter woes and finished with a nice game throwing for 233 yards on 17 for 33 passing with a touchdown. The Jets receivers did a good job in this game despite being short handed without Winslow and Holmes, as Jeremy Kerley had a fantastic game catching eight passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. David Nelson made the most of his opportunity to play more, as he caught four passes for 80 yards.

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.

New York Jets Draft Review

By Ryan McDonald (@RonnieMac90)

2013 NFL Draft

Dee Milliner, Alabama CB (R1 P9)
Sheldon Richardson, Missouri Dline (R1 P13)
Geno Smith, West Virginia QB (R2 P39)
Brian Winters, Kent State G (R3 P72)
Oday Aboushi, Virgina OL (R5 P141)
William Campbell, Michigan OL (R6 P178)
Tommy Bohanon, Wake Forest FB (R7 P215)

Things started off smoothly in the draft for the new regime of the Jets. Grabbing Dee Milliner, cornerback out of Alabama. Widely considered a top 5 talent, Milliner dropped due to injury concerns. At 9, getting this talent was great value and it filled a need at corner after trading Revis. Make no mistakes though, he won’t be Revis, but he’ll be better than Kyle Wilson for sure.

Next up was the defensive tackle out of Missouri, Sheldon Richardson. At first, this was a head scratching pick. Richardson was undersized to play DT in a 3-4 and the this extended the Jets streak of selecting a defensive linemen in the first round to 3 years. It was suspected that the Jets would move to a 4-3 or at least use the front more often than in past years, but they decided to go into a different direction entirely. A huge need for the Jets was OLB which was not addressed in this draft, but the plan was to have Richardson play defensive end and move last year’s 1^st round selection, Quinton Coples, to outside linebacker and play the pass rushing role. Coples played OLB going into his draft and teams looked at him for that position. Coples led the Jets in sacks last year at a meager 5.5 sacks but note this is from the defensive end position. Expect production to increase for Coples as a pass rusher with this move. As for Richardson, not a true nose tackle, defensive end seems like the perfect place for him, making this pick less head scratching.

Next up is the quarterback from West Virginia, Geno Smith. Projected to go in the top 10 of the draft, and even considered by some to go 9 to the Jets, getting him 30 picks later is excellent value. After round 1 ended, the Jets had looked desperate to try and trade up in the 2^nd to go get Geno which would’ve been a huge mistake as he fell to them anyway. It’s good that they didn’t lose another pick just to get Geno 5 picks sooner. But it also begged the question of why the best QB in this draft fell to the 2^nd round. This was answered with how he interviewed and his persona. Apparently, Geno Smith is a diva and was texting and tweeting from his phone during interviews with NFL teams. Geno’s drop also caused him to fire his agents which was another diva-ish move. It comes to question if you can lead when you blame others for your bad interviews though and should be a red flag for the Jets. Also keep in mind that if this was the 2012 draft, Geno would’ve been a 2^nd-3^rd round pick anyway and was only projected as a top 10 pick due to being the best of the worst of the QB crop this year.

With their 3^rd round pick, the Jets selected Brian Winters from Kent State. An offensive linemen, Winters brings versatility to the position. Winters played right tackle in college but was drafted and looked at as a guard. Anytime a player can play multiple positions makes him an attractive pick, and although the Jets need a guard desperately, Winters can also fill in at tackle if needed.

The Jets traded their 4^th round pick for Saints RB Chris Ivory. As many positions, RB was a need for the Jets. Ivory was the 3^rd RB on the depth chart in New Orleans behind Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram. Ivory did see the field seemingly a lot despite this, and played quite well when given the ball. Ivory is a power back that likes to run over people which fits well with Rex Ryan’s ground and pound mentality. Overall, this was a very good trade for the Jets as they acquired their starting RB for only a 4^th round pick.

With their 5^th and 6^th round picks, the Jets continued to address their offensive line depth. Oday Aboushi and William Campbell were both drafted as offensive linemen. This seems to be only for depth with only Aboushi being able to see the field if he switches from left tackle to right tackle and current Jets starter Austin Howard does not produce. Campbell was a defensive tackle in college and only played guard in 2010 briefly. With all the Jets needs, this was a bad pick as taking a project for offensive line doesn’t seem like a smart idea.

With their final pick, the Jets took fullback Tommy Bohanon. Bohanon has some nice hands for a FB and can add to the passing game but not much is expected from a 7^th rounder.

Overall, the Jets had a very good draft, but with so many needs at so many positions, it was hard to have a bad draft. With solid picks in the first five rounds, and a very good trade, the Jets started their rebuilding process quite well. Geno Smith will have to change his personality under the bright lights of New York and hopefully he can be the quarterback of the future for the Jets.

Overall Grade: B+