you make a great case of why. I forgot that week 1 and 3 were two teams with Coordinators who basically run the same scheme. That's a giant advantage for those teams. The next two weeks are good gauges and at the same time poor gauges because both teams have bottom 5 offenses. If the Jets stop them, is it because they suck or because the defense is beginning to right the ship? If this shit does continue, then I would expect the offense to be in shootouts most of the season, culminating in a bad playoff run - because those are the types of teams that get a home playoff game and shit the bed if they face a red hot WC team. I think it gets fixed because this is the best CS I've seen with the Jets in terms of fixing problems before they single handedly destroy the season.
Thank you for pointing out a mistake I made in my post (not sarcastic)...... I meant it was more telling to the negative. Meaning if the Jets bomb, that is 100% confirming evidence the Jets are in trouble. They say you can't prove a negative. However if the Bills and Vikings continue that 3rd down trend, well that negative will be more than proved. If the Jets do really well, I don't think it is an indication either way. It only confirms what we know about this CS. That they can and will, adjust. The funny thing is, for all of the negative connotations the Jets have rightly or wrongly brought upon themselves, one fact is lost, this CS is excellent. I guarantee the Ryan & co. is looking @ tape and finding a way to fix this.......
I really think we will see the defense improve on 3rd down with Revis and Pace back. Taylor and Pace coming off either edge with 3, 4, or 5 other guys is gonna be too much for most teams to handle. Revis takes Wilson out of deep coverage where we have seen him struggle so far. Right now Wilson is really killing the defense for the simple fact that he is a rookie. He has good coverage but until he gets comfortable making a play on the ball he will be a liability on the outside.
Both Cromartie and Wilson definitely have the athleticism and skill to stick with WRs, but they must must must learn how to turn their head and at least LOOK for the ball, let alone locate it. Until they learn this technique, they'll continue to get beat and/or get flagged for PI. I'm all for heavy blitzing (i.e. 5 or 6 guys) even when Pace returns, however, there needs to be some sort of assurance that the blitz will get to the QB; otherwise, any other CB not named Revis will give up plays. The lack of a dominant pass-rusher is forcing the D to blitz heavy, whereas, a consistent pass-rush from only 4 guys would make the Secondary so much tougher to dissect. Once Rex finally obtains a pass-rusher (I'm guessing by no later than next season), the D will only have to send 4 or 5 guys, and that's when we'll see some great things from the D. In the meantime, I expect Rex/Pettine will get creative and introduce new wrinkles to compensate for the lack of a dominant pass-rusher.
I think you hit the nail on the head. Teams seem to have figured out that they can just throw up jump balls and more often than not it's going to end in a positive result for the offense. This should be easily corrected - when the receiver looks up, the ball is probably coming. Turn around and find it.
After only three games though you would only need a few better plays for the percentags to shift quite a bit and the rankings to look very different - if its still like this by the bye week then its definitely time to worry. Unless we are 5-1 of course
And that's exactly why I wanted us to go for the 2-pointer to go up 9 after we scored the other nite ... no confidence / evidence that we could actually stop the Dolphins on 4 consecutive downs ... Glad that we came up big in the end but anyway ... I think it all comes down to our inability to draft and/or develop classic pass rushers. Did you watch the Packers last night? It seemed like they were in Cutler's face on every play. I just don't get it ... why can other teams seem to find these guys and we never do? With Revis in there we can get away with it, but we're getting exposed without him. I also think playing the receivers we've seen the first couple of weeks has made us look worse than we really are, and getting Pace back should be a big help.
Cro is not a rookie, but as reported he is being asked to play his position differently, and that takes some getting used to. The DL prepared for the season assuming Jenkins would be out there some significant part of the time, and are having to adjust to his absence. Pace being out hurts the pass rush, and of course Revis being out forces the whole secondary to play differently. Jenks is gone for the season, but getting Pace and Revis back will help immensely. But Cro and Wilson still need to get a better feel for their roles out there.
This Times article seems to shed some light on our "suspect, as of late" D. Rex is very well aware there is some fixing to be done..... Defense’s Struggles Leave Jets Unsettled By DAVE CALDWELL Published: September 27, 2010 FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The Jets held on at the last minute to defeat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night, and Rex Ryan said Monday afternoon that he was still happy — or, as he quipped, as happy as a coach can be for not recognizing some of the coverages the Jets used. As much as Ryan appreciated how his offense performed in the 31-23 victory, the Jets’ defense — his defense — was pushed around, surrendering 363 passing yards. “My pride’s hurt a little bit,” Ryan said, somewhat softly. “No question about that.” He said the Jets (2-1) could stand some shoring up before their game Sunday at Buffalo. The Bills are 0-3, but they scored 30 points in a loss to New England. Ryan is hopeful, but not certain, that cornerback Darrelle Revis will have recovered from a hamstring injury. Ryan pointed out that the secondary used Sunday included three players who were not around last year: the rookie cornerback Kyle Wilson, cornerback Antonio Cromartie and safety Brodney Pool. Ryan said he was glad to win, but there were breakdowns galore. “It sent a message to us that we’ve got to do a better job in the classroom,” Ryan said. Pool preserved the victory by deflecting Chad Henne’s pass away from tight end Anthony Fasano in the end zone, and it was intercepted by Drew Coleman with 27 seconds left. But the game had been a harrowing experience for a team that likes to suffocate opponents. The Jets’ defense, ranked No. 1 in the league a year ago, was No. 20 through Sunday. It was next to last in defensive third-down efficiency. “We just didn’t play as well as we can — that’s the main thing,” Pool said Monday. Miami’s Brandon Marshall caught 10 passes for 166 yards. Wilson, the first-round draft choice from Boise State, replaced Revis in the lineup, and the Dolphins quickly started throwing his way. On Miami’s first scoring drive, Wilson allowed 34 yards on two completions and was called for a 27-yard pass-interference penalty that gave the Dolphins a first down at the Jets’ 3. Miami scored on the next play, and half of the Jets’ 14-point lead was gone. “I don’t think he played as bad as everybody made it out to be,” Pool said. Eric Smith, the safety who blocked a second-half punt that led to a field goal, said Monday that it was pretty much a group effort, which he described as “lousy.” Smith said he did not know if Revis would have made a huge difference in the way the defense played. The way the Jets won was so scattershot, and so uncharacteristic for them, that Ryan sounded as if he did not want to endure something like that again. The offense, and quarterback Mark Sanchez and tight end Dustin Keller in particular, pushed the team this time. “They’ve had to carry us,” Smith said. Sanchez completed 15 of 28 passes for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns, the first two to Keller and the third to wide receiver Braylon Edwards. Keller, remarkably mobile for someone who weighs 250 pounds, has caught 13 passes in the last two games. Outside linebacker Bryan Thomas said Monday that he was glad other teams had to worry about finding a safety big enough or a linebacker fast enough to control Keller. The Jets seem to have found an offensive rhythm early in Sanchez’s second season. “We have a great defense, and we have a pretty good offense in the making,” Keller said. Suddenly, that marauding defense does not appear to be as impenetrable as it did going into the season. Ryan said Monday that he thought that the offense and the special teams “bailed us out.” He said he could not wait until Revis got back. Ryan was optimistic that outside linebacker Calvin Pace, who missed the first three games after foot surgery, will be able to play against Buffalo. But Revis is much further from being a sure thing. Ryan said he did not want to push Revis back, only to have him to tweak his hamstring. “I think he’s moving around better,” Ryan said. “He feels better. You almost have to be 100 percent or right at 100 percent to play corner, or you’re going to be having to face this the whole season.”
I have noticed this as well!!! This is more of the a problem than I think people realize... no receiver is getting touched at the line on 3rd down...
its natural for there to be some miscommunication and confusion in the secondary since 3/6 (Pool,Wilson,Cro) of it right now are new to our team they should gel as the year goes on and greatly improve our 3rd down d also you have to conisder all the shifts between who's playing first and second corner between the holdout and revis injury.
Did you guys listen to Rex's presser yesterday? He addressed the third down defense and basically said "yea, I've been here many times - it will get better - probably 1st or 2nd best in the league by the end of the year. If you want to bet against that, be my guest." heh - love this guy.
