As I said before while I'm from Buffalo, I followed the Jets most of the year because I liked how they were playing and was really hoping they'd win this thing. It didn't happen but I noticed a few things in this game that they could have done and a few reasons why they lost. Fitzpatrick is taking a lot of heat for those three INTs. One was bound to happen sooner or later given how long it had been since he'd tossed one and should have been easy enough to overcome. The late two he was hit on, and one of those was in the last seconds of desperation in a situation they never should have been in. I'll fault the offensive line there, they didn't really seem to protect Fitz as well as the past few games. Thompkins should have caught that ball like it or not, but again it wasn't a situation they should have been in. Speaking of Fitzpatrick, TD records and passing, someone really needs to go look at just how many good throws were dropped by receivers this year (outside of Marshall and Decker). There were A LOT. I'm not talking ridiculous catches, I'm talking well placed balls that were catchable and should have been caught most of the time. Makes you wonder if those passes had been caught over the course of the season would this game even have been the deciding factor in getting in? Ivory had hardly any carries meaning the Jets drives took hardly any time even when they scored, this left the defense on the field a long time. The problems started earlier though. They got off to the slow start, however the defense let the Bills stay on the field just way too long and let them convert way too many 3rd downs. If the defense had held them I'm fairly certain the Jets would have eventually got the offense rolling. They let the Bills have a drive that lasted darn near an entire quarter! Rex Ryan probably has some knowledge of what the team can do with who they have, having been there last year, which I think is Bowles' responsibility to come up with something that works, particularly after the last loss. At least show some emotion! The Jets need a TE that'll catch some passes and a Punter. A 20 yard punt? Hell I can kick a ball 20 yards, just sign me if you're willing to settle for that. There seriously was no veteran kicker they could have brought in anywhere? Let's get realistic, if they can bring back Fitz, which I still think should be done, they've got maybe 2 years to get this done. If Petty is the eventual answer and they're sure of it then they need to bring in some immediate talent if they plan on going the distance in the interim be it veterans or drafts.
What needs to be done is that this team has to change their identity and go into the witness protection program to prevent their cursed past from following them around.
Your first post was the friendly new neighbor type of thing, now you're moving into the nosey mother in-law territory. Focus on how to fix that mess you have up there. ...no offence my friend.
Sorry for the rudeness of some of my fellow jets brethren. As far as I'm concerned, if you're willing to be a classy poster and seriously and openly discuss football, you're always welcome here. You probably got the negative reaction because it's just too soon after yesterday's loss.
Just because I'm from Buffalo doesn't necessarily mean I'm that much of a Bills fan, I've been pissed with them since the Todd Collins era for numerous reasons. If I was a diehard Bills fan I'd never have wanted the Jets to beat them. This isn't the only season I've ever followed the Jets either. I think I've been more an outside observer though because until they started NFL Sunday Ticket, Internet streaming and such it was hard to catch enough games to form honest opinions.
To me the defense should take more of the blame for the loss. Our offense had to be perfect because the defense couldn't get Buffalo off the field. The INT in the end zone was killer but we could have overcome it if we had the ball more and more chances to score. The last two INT's were because Fitz had to force things to come back at that point. In another scenario he could probably take the sack on those last two throws but couldn't because of the situation at that point. The fact that Buffalo had their number one RB out, and two of their top receiving targets out yet still ate up the clock and scored points is unacceptable.
I agree that drive in the 2nd quarter was brutal went 9 or 10 minutes+. I'd also say the missed field goal, while not killer, certainly doesn't help with building momentum.
I think that by and large, they lost due to the D's poor play, but I think there were a number of factors at work. One, I don't think the team was nearly as good as many did. On offense, the right side of the OL is pretty mediocre. Powell was out, Ivory was banged up, and Ridley had never been able to get going coming off his injury. We didn't have a TE worth a damn, and Buffalo never had to worry about the TE position hurting them. Fitz has a limited arm, especially in the wind. That was a game in which the Jets needed to pound the rock, and couldn't, so the offense couldn't sustain drives any more than the D could stop Buffalo from having sustained drives. The LBs are mostly old and slow and can't cover. The D can't generate any consistent pass rush. The secondary isn't as good as many posters thought it would be. There is too little speed in the defensive unit, and team in general. The game plan could have been better. Watkins should have been doubled. One of the DBs should have been able to take Greg Salas out of the game by blanketing him. I think that Bowles and his staff could probably have done a better job making adjustments. Finally, is our STs. We all know how badly the STs sucked this season. Quigley is awful. That 20 yard punt was a killer. Bullock did pretty well for a mid-season replacement kicker, but he missed a FG which would have made a difference, if not given us the win if no other points were scored in the game than were. At a minimum, the Jets have to get a new punter and find a way to dramatically improve the STs play. They need a speedy, elusive PR/KR. They probably need to fire Bobby April and hire a better STs coach. The right side of the OL needs to be replaced. They need a better RB who has more speed, is a good, if not great, receiver. They need a real, two-way TE who can both catch and block equally well. They need a stud pass rusher at the OLB spot. If he can also cover receivers, that's a plus. They need to replace Demario Davis with a fast ILB who takes good angles, knows how to wrap up ball carriers and who excels in coverage. A ton of starters and key backups will bee FAs. They have to identify which ones are worth keeping and figure out a way to do that. They're probably going to lose some good players that they'd otherwise like to keep, and will have to work to replace them. It's probably going to take at least 2 more off seasons to address the holes in the roster and improve the depth before they cill be a true competitor and tough out in the playoffs.
Agree on your comments regarding the bills fan...and welcome. Also agree on your team assessment esp. ST coach ... they need more team speed and in MHO need to stop playing so much zone...
1. The defense: Of course - this defense was Ryan's child. Lead-footed LBs are his trademarks. And Buffalo will get one in due time - mark my words! Actually - it would be unfair to blame Rex for this slow-ass LB corp, because Mangini made this slow LB corps in the first place. Jets never had decent speed at the second level for more than a full decade now. Bowles had just that in Arizona, before he took over - so I expect him to infuse some speed in the second level this time around. 2. Jets do need a better WR coach; that I agree with you. Fitz was killed all season with these drops. He could have been hitting mid 60's [64-65%] if the receivers could hold on to the ball. [And have a few more TD passes as well. Hell - Marshall dropped a few in the end zone, for all I can remember.] 3. Jets OL on the right side is a major mess. They lucked out with James Carpenter at LG, but won't be that lucky again. Will have to draft here, which means they will have to hire a good OL coach too. 4. TEs are overrated largely thanks to that cheater up there in Foxboro. Essentially, you need a TE that can force a favorable match-up. That idea has been around since the 70's, when Kellen Winslow first destroyed the defensive coverages back then. Unless they can find one, don't count on TE being an integral part of Gailey's offense. TEs were never a useful tool under Gailey's tutelage anyway. =============================================================== Don't mind the rude people. Any civil fan is welcome, regardless of the team he roots for.
I think the TE, if capable gives that extra option. With Marshall and Decker getting the bulk of the work, even a pretty good TE like say Gary Olson would have added an extra element. With point #2 I agree completely. Some of these games probably would have been in the 50 point range if the receivers had hauled it in, and they weren't bad throws by Fitz, they were excellent throws for whatever reason the receivers just didn't hang onto. I was happy to see April get the axe, special teams needs work, hopefully Quigley is next to go.
