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.

W2W4: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New York Jets

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

September 8^th, 2013

W2W4: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New York Jets

The New York Jets will be kicking off their 2013-2014 season at home with a new regime running the show after an off-season of lots of change, as they will be facing off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and a familiar face in Darrelle Revis.

- Return Of Revis Island

Revis will be making his return to Met Life Stadium after tearing up his knee last year, but this year he wont be playing in the green and white anymore, as in one of the biggest moves of the off-season, Revis was sent to the Buccaneers. It will be something to watch for early to see how the Jets attack their former best player coming off surgery, as they may look to run outside to his side, or possibly have Geno Smith go at him in the passing game to see just how healthy Revis is.

2013 NFL Previews: New York Jets

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

With training camps opening throughout the NFL the past week we will take a quick look at previewing some teams for the upcoming season; giving a rundown of the 2012 one, some off-season moves and an outlook of this season. It is time to get excited as there will not be another Sunday without NFL football until February 2014. Here is the 2013 preview for the New York Jets.

New York Jets AFC East (6-10)

2012 was a rough season for the Jets as they looked to have hit rock bottom. They made headlines before the season by trading for Tim Tebow, the second consecutive time they traded for a big name quarterback following a New York Giants Super Bowl victory. The Jets were able to stay in the limelight during the season but not for anything positive.

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+

Jets Questionable First Round

By Ryan McDonald(@RonnieMac90)

The New York Jets had two picks in the 2013 draft at 9 and 13. With two good picks to fill needs, the Jets would be on a good start to the rebuilding process. However, it seems they split the picks.

With 9, the Jets selected Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner which was a fairly good pick. Milliner was a top 5 talent but due to an injury fell to the Jets at 9. Milliner I’m sure will have a lot of pressure to replace recently traded Darrelle Revis but he won’t be able to do that. Revis is a once a generation talent, and expectations like that are just unfair. Milliner isn’t Revis, but he can still be a Pro Bowl level corner in a few years and at a reasonable price which was what the Jets were looking for not signing Revis to $16 million a year.

With 13 came all the questions. The Jets selected Missouri DT Sheldon Richardson. With this pick, the Jets have selected a defensive linemen in the first year for the past 3 years. At 291 pounds, Richardson can’t really play the Nose Tackle position, but the Jets acknowledged they drafted him for versatility meaning they have thoughts at defensive end. Rex Ryan also said the Jets would use some 4-3 fronts this season but two better DTs, Shariff Floyd and Star Lotulelei were still on the board. If you had 4-3 in mind when drafting them, why not draft one of them?

Defensive line also wasn’t as pressing need as other areas. The best safety in the draft, Kenny Vaccaro, was still available. The Jets have a desperate need at the safety position. Play making TE Tyler Eifert was also still on the board and pass rusher Jarvis Jones was as well. All three players played a position in which the Jets needed more than defensive line.

We can only hope that the Jets will address these areas in the later rounds.

Jets Must Address Offense In Second Round

By Josef Schaetzle (@Schaetz23)

The New York Jets were looking to land play making wide receiver Tavon Austin with the ninth pick in the NFL Draft. Unfortunately he was snagged by the St. Louis Rams with the eighth pick.

It was anyone's guess who the Jets were going to take now, and they went with Dee Milliner, a highly talented cornerback from Alabama. The Jets are hoping Milliner can step in and fill the void left when they traded all-pro corner Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The only concern is that Milliner has had multiple surgeries during his athletic career including surgery for a torn labrum that Milliner is confident he can fully recover from. 

Gang Green also had the 13th overall pick in this year's draft, and once again they drafted on defense. The Jets took defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson out of Missouri. What was the reason behind this pick? Richardson was graded highly during the draft process, but was it really what the Jets needed to go after? They have Muhammad Wilkerson and Quinton Coples, who they drafted in the first round last year, to fill those spots on the field. If the Jets were looking for defense again, why not an outside linebacker who can get to the quarterback? Alec Ogletree was still on the board when the Jets were picking. Ogletree has the ability to be an edge rusher and a cover guy. Ogletree would have only improved a defense that has finished at the top of the league the past four years. 

Hindsight is twenty-twenty we all say, and now it's time to move onto the second round where the Jets must boost their offense. There is plenty of talent in the second and third rounds tonight and the Jets can really help themselves and come out of this draft feeling good.  

Zach Ertz,, a tight-end out of Stanford, would be a smart draft choice for the Jets. With Dustin Keller leaving for Miami, the Jets need a tight-end who can get open in the middle of the field and burn defenses with 10-15 yard routes. Ertz can be that guy for the Jets. Forget what he did at the combine. He ran a forty yard dash that didn't wow the scouts. Last I saw, Jason Witten wasn't blowing by linebackers with his speed, he just runs good routes and shows up to play every day. That is what the Jets will get from Ertz if they draft him. Ertz's numbers may not be what Witten's are, Witten is an elite tight end right now, but he can make the big play when needed, and he is always giving 110%. 

Eddie Lacey is also still on the board. The running back from Alabama dealt with a hamstring injury during the off-season, but has shown that his mix of size and speed make shim hard to tackle. Just ask any SEC team or Notre Dame. Lacey could be a nice fit for Rex Ryan and his ground and pound game. 

The offensive line talent in the draft has dwindled somewhat with nine linemen taken in the first round, but there is still raw talent left for the second and third rounds where the Jets might get a steal. 

First year GM John Idzik has some decisions to make in the second round, but they should not be on the defensive side of the ball. It's time for the Jets to get offensive. 

New York Jets Draft Preview

By Ryan McDonald(@RonnieMac90)

On the eve of the draft, the Jets find themselves as having an extra 1st round pick at 13 from the Darrelle Revis trade giving them 8 picks total.
 
1st round(9)
1st round(13)
2nd round(41)
3rd round(74)
4th round(105)
5th round(136)
6th round(166)
7th round(197)
 
Sadly, it's not enough for the rebuilding Jets.
 
With needs almost at every position, it'll be hard for the Jets to land value for every spot.
 
Quarterback - Currently, the starting quarterback position is up for grabs among the guys still on the roster. That means it's between ex-Jaguars QB David Garrard, Greg McElroy, Mark Sanchez, and Tim Tebow(Yes, he hasn't been cut yet). So to sum things up, the Jets don't have a starting quarterback on the roster.
 
Sadly, the 2013 draft is not the draft for quarterbacks, that was last years. Geno Smith(West Virginia), the speculated #1 quarterback draft would most likely find himself as the 6th quarterback in the 2012 draft. That being said, Smith is still projected to go in the top 10 with need being used as an evaluator. Even he does fall to 9, I just can't see the Jets taking him with more talented players at other needed areas.
 
If the Jets do select a quarterback, it'll most likely be in the 2nd round, and that QB I speculate would be Ryan Nassib(Syracuse). Nassib doesn't physically impress you or make you get out of your seat, but he plays the position intelligently. Think of him like a Chad Pennington with better arm strength, and at least he's 6'3", two inches taller than Sanchez. It'll be lucky if Nassib falls to them at 41, but if he does, I do think the Jets should take him.
 
It's also hard to think why the Jets were so hard pressed to take the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2013 1st round pick instead of the 2014 1st round pick they originally offered for Revis. The quarterbacks in 2014 are projected to be better than 2013.
 
Running back - The Jets lost Shonn Greene who was last year's starting running back. The load currently will fall on Bilal Powell who did show some promise in the 2012 season. However, Rex Ryan always shouts "ground n pound" and with Powell and newcomer Mike Goodson, it'll be hard to win games using that philosophy without improvement.
 
Like quarterback, this draft just isn't that great at the running back position. The top RB is Alabama's Eddie Lacy which is a solid pick but Lacy is projected to go in the 20s. The need for RB doesn't outweigh some needs in other positions such as Safety and OLB, so it's doubtful they would use the 13 pick on Lacy.
 
After Lacy, the talent at the RB position drops off significantly. Le'Veon Bell(Mich. St.), Montee Ball(Wisconsin), are two other options the Jets could look at with 74 and 105. It's probable that both will still be on the board by at least 74. Neither player would make an impact that Lacy could though.
 
Wide Receiver - With Santonio Holmes coming back slowly from injury, it'll be a rough few games with this current receiving core. The now sophmore Stephen Hill dropped way too many catches in 2012. He cannot be counted on in 3rd down situations and doesn't seemed to have grasp the game at the NFL level. Jeremy Kerley is a good slot receiver but the problem is he needs to stay in the slot.
 
Tavon Austin(West Virginia) is one option the Jets could look at with one of their 1st round picks. Austin can also return punts and kickoffs as well as make plays in the passing game. More of a big play guy, and only 5'-8" in height, Austin is not a vertical threat in the passing game. In the NFL, he'd most likely be used as Reggie Bush was in New Orleans. Unfortunately, he's not as athletic as Bush coming out. The other option is Cordarrelle Patterson(Tennessee). At 6'-3", Patterson is the more typical receiver. He also has the potential to return kicks, but isn't as versatile as Austin.
 
If the Jets pass on both, they most likely will not select a receiver in the draft.
 
Tight End - With the Dolphins signing Dustin Keller, the Jets starting TE right now is Jeff Cumberland. Cumberland is in no way the passing threat Keller was and downgrades the passing game significantly.
 
The two top tight ends in this draft are Tyler Eifert(Notre Dame) and Zach Ertz(Stanford). Eifert was a great tight end in college and give the Jets a nice blocker and pass catcher. Eifert is projected to go in the 18-28 in numerous mock drafts. Selecting Eifert at 13 would be a slight stretch but it could happen. If the Jets decide not to select him, Ertz is 6'-5" with good hands. Ertz doesn't have great speed like Keller but he can move the chains and is a big target.
 
Pass Rusher - With numerous cuts on the defensive side such as Bart Scott, a pass rusher is what the Jets have lacked for years. The Jets have had a history of failure in selecting pass rushers such as Vernon Gholston in the 2008 draft. The defensive line is young with tons of potential in Muhammad Wilkerson and Quinton Coples, so look for the Jets to address this need at the outside linebacker position. Luckily, this draft is rich in this exact area, especially in the first round.
 
Dion Jordan(Oregon) is scouted to be the best pass rusher in the draft. The problem with this is that he is a projecte top 5 pick. It's doubtful the Jets will trade up. The next two players are both first rounders with good talent. Jarvis Jones(Georgia) and Barkevious Mingo(LSU), it makes sense that if you want good defensive players you take from the SEC. Both players are a great fit with the Jets at the outside linebacker position and both might be available at the 9-13 area.
 
The draft is also deep with defensive linemen but some prospects do not fit the Jets 3-4 system. One potential pick here in the 1st round is Star Lotulelei(Utah). However, it's doubtful the Jets take another lineman in the 1st round.
 
Safety - LaRon Landry who played well with the Jets in 2012 left for the Colts. The Jets decided to sign Landry's less productive bother Dawan, formerly of the Jaguars. Dawan struggled with the Jaguars and isn't as hard a hitter as his brother. The safety position is in need of a major upgrade.
 
A player that the Jets seem to have their eye on is LSU's Eric Reid. The Jets would most likely trade down to take Reid in the 1st round. It's unlikely they go for this though, and look at other options such as Matt Elam(Florida) in the later rounds. Elam's 5'-10" in height but has good play recognition skills. Elam was also a leader on one of the best defenses in college football in 2012. Elam could be a very productive player and good value with pick 74.
 

Week in Review with Kenny and Nick: April 21st, 2013

Everyone's favorite radio hosts, a.k.a. The Best Looking Radio Show tandem of Kenneth Teape (@teapester725) and Nick Ziegler (@ziggy26x) return and are back at it for a packed show this weekend on the Bob Sullivan Show (@BobSullivanShow).  Listen in for baseball talk, specifically the Yankees and Mets surprising starts.  They will they transition into a little bit of football talk about the Jets big move of finally trading Darrelle Revis heading into the start of the NFL Draft Thursday night. Where did Revis go and for what? Tune in to find out.  Last but not least the two will talk about the Knicks game 1 win over the Boston Celtics as well as touch on the rest of the first round of the NBA playoffs, including some things to watch for the remainder of the first round and how the game 1's had gone before the show aired.  Follow the link to listen to the whole show!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/the-bob-sullivan-show/2013/04/21/week-in-review-with-kenny-and-nick

Revis Island No Longer Located in New York

By Ryan McDonald (@RonnieMac90)

The Darrelle Revis trade has been in the works all off-season. It finally happened on April 21^st, trading Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In return, the Jets acquired the Bucs 1^st round pick in this draft, number 13, and a fourth round pick in 2014.

In comparison to the other big trade this NFL off-season, the Percy Harvin deal from Minnesota to Seattle, the Vikings received Seattle’s 1^st and 5^th round picks in 2013 and a third rounder in 2014. So it would appear that Percy Harvin, a pro-bowl level wide receiver is worth more than the best cornerback in the league in Revis. Another conclusion drawn from this could be that the Jets simply got robbed and should have got more than two picks.