Week Three Report Card

Miami-28, JETS-31
by Joe Grinwis

Quarterback – B
Pennington – 15-22, 124 yards, 3 TDs (2 passing, 1 rushing)
Chad Pennington returned to the starting lineup and performed like, well, Chad Pennington. No shots down the field, not a lot of yardage at all, but no mistakes and three total touchdowns. Chad’s QB sneak into the end zone was like Michael Vick if he had three pit bulls hanging on his ankles.

Running Back – B
Jones – 25 attempts, 110 yards
No touchdowns for Thomas but a solid day on the ground getting a little over 4 yards per carry. Jones tired out the Miami defense with effective runs but the Offensive Line should, and from me will, get a lot of the credit. This was the first game this season that the Jets really saw the type of back they traded for.

Wide Receiver – B
Coles – 3 receptions, 30 yards, TD
Cotchery – 5 receptions, 54 yards
Laveranues Coles had a touchdown and Jerricho Cotchery had a couple of key grabs but what really impressed me was the blocking of the receivers when Jones or Leon Washington took it to the outside. Solid, not great game by the unit today.

Tight End – B-
Baker – 1 reception, 4 yards, TD
Chris Baker made a great touchdown catch and blocked well helping the Offensive Line pave the way for Jones and Washington.

Offensive Line – B+
Jones ran for 110 behind the line today and besides a sack by Vonnie Holliday, Pennington had pretty good protection out there today. Maybe this line is finally starting to gel.

Defensive Line – D
Shaun Ellis got the Jets’ first sack of the season but aside from that the unit did not play well again. Dewayne Robertson had one nice pressure on Trent Green which helped lead to his interception but otherwise was quiet. Ronnie Brown, yes the same Ronnie Brown with less than 70 yards on the ground coming into the game, ran for 112 yards.

Linebackers – D
Not much better here either. Eric Barton and David Harris played the best out of this unit but the tackling was not up to task. The Defensive Line can not be the only unit criticized for letting Ronnie Brown run for 112 yards. Brown also had 99 yards through the air.

Secondary – C+
Darrelle Revis continued to impress and David Barrett continued to look like a back-up forced into a starting role. Kerry Rhodes backed up his words by making a key interception and the few times Mangini blitzed him he pressured Green.

Coaching – C
The game plan was way too conservative. One has to wonder: If that was a Herman Edwards coached team, what do Jets fans say after an offensive game plan like that? Way too many 1st and 2nd down runs.  Late in the game the defense should not have been playing prevent the entire time. Blitz someone more than once a quarter will you?

Special Teams – A
Let’s see here. Mike Nugent had two touchbacks (that should help silent his few critics) and made his only field goal attempt. Benny Graham punted the ball well and the kick coverage unit was ten times more improved than in the previous two games. And last but not least, Leon Washington. After his 98 yard kickoff return for a touchdown the Dolphins were scared to kick to him. Looks like Justin Miller won’t be as big of a loss as we all thought he would be.

Fans – A+
I LOVED the new scanning the crowd and having a different fan each and every time get to lead the stadium the J-E-T-S chant. The crowd really stepped up today and showed their true colors. Everyone was loud on defense and the chants were as loud as ever.  Kudos to everyone who stayed at halftime to honor Wayne Chrebet.

Hero of the Game: Leon Washington

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