Raiders 16 Jets 13
by Brian Clark
Quarterback – D
Brett Favre – 21/38 197 yards 0 TD, 2 INT, 1 Fumble
With the exception of the 2nd half vs. San Diego and the Arizona game, Brett Favre has been nothing more than an average quarterback. Against the Raiders, he made some questionable throws, and could not get the offense going. I have always been a Brett Favre supporter, but if he gets 3 chances to take the Jets down the field for at least a field goal and can’t do it, I’m sorry, but that’s not the Brett Favre that I grew up watching. 37 OT and 4th quarter comebacks….and I don’t count too many more from him at this point.
Running Backs – A
Thomas Jones – 24 carries, 159 yards, 6.6 yards per carry
Leon Washington 3 carries, 19 yards, 6.3 yards per carry, 1 TD
The HB Counter that Jones ran 3 times on the right side of the line did so much damage to the Raiders, and made TJ look like a great runner. Did he have explosive breakaway speed, no. But did he find the hole, get passed the first line, and pick up big chunks of yards, yes. Very few times since he’s become a Jet have I yelled at the TV to hand it to Jones, but with the way he was running, it was hard not to. Washington ran strong on his TD run, and broke through 5 tackles. The Jets ran for 242 yards as a team, which is definitely an A effort.
Wide Receivers – C
Brad Smith – 4 receptions, 29 yards; 4 rushes 59 yards
Laverneus Coles – 4 receptions, 51 yards
Chansi Stuckey – 2 receptions, 48 yards
I don’t know what caused the decision to utilize Brad Smith, but it worked and I loved it. He caught the ball as a traditional wide receiver, was the quarterback in a “wildcat” offense, lined up as a running back to run for a first down, and took handoff on end arounds. It seemed like Eric Mangini used his whole “Brad Smith” playbook in this game. Coles didn’t have a bad game, connecting on a inside slant off a snap read. Cotchery had a horrible day in my opinion, and didn’t help on Favre’s 2 INT’s. The first he did a combination of falling back and slipping, letting the CB cut in front, and on the 4th quarter INT, he stopped his route short, making Hall’s INT an easy over the shoulder basket catch. With 1 catch for 0 yards, that was a poor performance.
Tight Ends – B-
Chris Baker –5 reception, 42 yards
Chris Baker looked like the entire offense on the first drive. With 5 catches on that drive, he almost matched his season total of 7. He did not have another catch the remainder of the game, and basically was a ghost, except for the time he fell down when he was wide open late in the game.
Offensive Line – B
They did a great job opening up holes in the running game, making holes that even Thomas Jones could run through. In the passing game, they had some trouble initially when it was 7 on 5, but by the end they were doing a good job giving Favre at least a little time to look down the field and help set up the game-tying field goal. Hopefully this group can continue to improve in the passing game, and keep opening those big holes.
Defensive Line – C+
Kris Jenkins and Kenyon Coleman had strong games shutting down the run. It is horribly noticeable how not only do teams succeed when Sione Pouha is in there, but how they intentionally run at him. Ellis picked up another sack, looking strong in his 9th season. He has 1 sack in 5 out of the 6 games this season.
Linebackers – C+
Harris tracked down the ball well on outside running plays, looking good for the first time in a while. There were only flashes of brilliance from Pace and Thomas, a sharp change from their play in the previous 5 games. Without any sacks between them, or any big plays, it was a surprisingly quiet game for those two. Those two need to be attacking the quarterback, especially one who sits still in the pocket, not drop back into coverage.
Secondary – B
Kerry Rhodes got in on the run game, teaming up with Harris on two tackles behind the line. He did however pick off our own gut on the deep pass to the TE which helped set up the game winning FG. He was rushing from entirely too deep in coverage. Lowery had another strong day, as teams all but avoid throwing the ball to Darrelle Revis’ side. He comes up and helps on the run, and does well in coverage. Although Elam had the facemask penalty late, he should be in there over Eric Smith.
Special Teams – B-
Leon Washington’s fumble on a punt gave the Raiders a easy field goal. He hasn’t done much to hurt the Jets in the past, but this one really hurt. Hodges didn’t do bad, as many of his kicks led to a limited returns from the Raiders. Jay Feely was clutch with the 52 yarder, as I know Jet fans will say, “he missed it the first time”. What mattered was he made it when it counted. He has been good replacement for Nugent since he got hurt, and should at least challenge him when he is healthy.
Coaching –D
Reasons why it wasn’t an F: Love the Brad Smith playbook, love the willingness to keep handing the ball to Thomas Jones. Reasons why it should have been an F. Inability to pressure an inexperienced and turnover prone QB. Questionable play calling by going 5 wide and letting your 39 year old QB get rocked by blitzes. Unwillingness to spread the field and pressure the Raiders in the play action game deep. Basically there were plenty of questionable decisions and a lack of passion out of him. If you don’t have 4 quarters to come up with a way to score 3 points in OT, then I don’t know what to say. Just a sad day to be a Jet fan.
Studs Of The Game: Thomas Jones, Brad Smith