Week 10 Report Card

Jets 47 Rams 3
by Brian Clark

Quarterback – B
Brett Favre – 14/19 167 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Brett Favre’s stats do not jump off the paper, and that is because he didn’t have to throw the ball too much for this team to win. He just had solid control of the game, as the Jets ran the ball heavily, especially as their lead expanded. Positives from him was hitting Keller on the deep pass in the 1st quarter and 0 INT’s, the negatives was that only 4 of the 14 balls caught were by WR’s, and although it wasn’t a big factor this game, that might hurt us down the road if we can’t get the ball into our playmakers hands. Basically with a game so dominant, I really have to nit pick to find faults.

Running Backs – A+
Thomas Jones – 26 carries, 149 yards, 3 TD 5.7 yards per carry
Leon Washington 12 carries, 54 yards, 4 receptions 14 yards
After two years of a inability to find the end zone with the Jets, Thomas Jones has 9 td’s this year, tied for the most he has had in his career…AND he still has 7 games to go. He ran hard and it seems that he is breaking more balls for 10 and 15 yard games in the past few weeks than what I’ve seen combined over the past 2 years. Some of that has to be on the offensive line, but some of that has to be some hard running in the open and fighting for extra yards. That first drive of the game, 55 yards rushing and 1 TD was a clinic on how to run the ball. Leon had a decent game, as it seemed he would either be stuffed in the backfield, or knock of a 10 yard gain.

Wide Receivers – C
Jerricho Cotchery – 1 reception, 18 yards
Brad Smith – 2 receptions, 14 yards
Similar to the grading for Favre, it is hard to judge the wide receivers especially with the game plan that was in place after the Jets took the early lead. Only 4 receptions for 46 yards out of this group, but it did not seem that they were really part of the game plan. Let’s hope for a bigger game on Thursday, where we figure they will be needed more.

Tight Ends – A
Dustin Keller – 6 reception, 107 yards, 1 TD
The first 100 yard game for the rookie as he played real well today. He broke free on the deep bomb in the 1st quarter, and the touchdown pass he caught was a great grab while be blanketed by the Rams corner. He has gotten involved in the offense during most of the games this year, and has been a pleasant surprise as a rookie. You have to expect that as he matures, he will develop into a much more used threat.

Offensive Line – A+
This is the first line I said about this group from the Buffalo game; “This is the best game that this line has had this year, and it was the first time in a long time that I have been overly happy with the play of the offensive line. “

Let’s just say that this group had even more of a dominating performance, as it is clearly noted that this teams’ success will be closely aligned with the strength of their offensive line. They allowed no sacks, and dominated the Rams defensive line, giving Thomas Jones big holes to run in. Favre only got knocked down once, and it was a much safer game for him to be in there than previous ones. When Mangold left the game in the 3rd with a back injury, I got worried, but he returned, and it seems as if this group is really coming together. Let’s hope for continuing great play out of this group in the weeks to come.

Defensive Line – A
I’m judging this line by their play in the first half, when the game was closer, than in the second half, where they had their second string guys in, and were resting up for Thursday’s game. The Rams with Steven Jackson out were going to have a tough time running the ball against this line. The Rams without him, had no chance. Kris Jenkins had another strong game as did David Bowens. They controlled the line of scrimmage and both Bulger and Green always had someone in their face.

Linebackers – A+
Great game by this group as they really were a big reason for the turnovers and big plays. Calvin Pace did a great job picking up that fumble and taking it to the house. Bryan Thomas caused a fumble late in the 2nd half, recovered by Barton, and set up the 55 yard try. They were all over the field, getting into the backfield and getting after the quarterback. Unlike previous games, this groups strong performance did not lead to receptions by RB’s and TE’s, two positions that have burned us all season. It was Barton’s best game by far, and this whole group was solid.

Secondary – A+
Kerry Rhodes had another strong game, as the ball hawk got involved in multiple plays. He recovered a fumble which he returned into St. Louis territory in the 2nd. He came out of nowhere for a pick and returned that as well. And then he got his hand on the ball down by the goal line which was intercepted by Hank Poteat. He had a hand in 3 game changing plays, and finally his good play has some results to back it up. Revis had another strong game as well, and Abram Elam should remain the starter for the remainder of the year, as he is greatly outperforming Eric Smith. He timed his hit perfectly on Marc Bulger, and it was his sack and forced fumble which led to the blowout.

Special Teams – A
Feely went 4 for 4, including a 55 yarder, tied for the longest in Jets history. He also went 5/5 on extra points. Leon had some strong returns in both the kickoff game and punt game, although I’d love to see him break one against the Pats. The only thing that worries me is the lack of balls getting kicked deep on kickoffs. Field position killed us in the first matchup against the Pats, and it could affect us again with short kicks. Despite the short kicks against the Rams, the Jets did a great job in coverage

Coaching – A+
This game had the words “trap game” written all over it. At home, with the Patriots looming on Thursday night and a potential short week of preparation for your biggest rival. What did the Jets do? They had the most dominant performance in the history of the franchise. They were dominant on all sides of the ball, and basically had the 3rd best 1st half lead in NFL HISTORY, due to their great preparation. He was able to rest his starters, and got some other players some great experience and playing time. This was a great performance by the coaching staff.

Studs Of The Game: Thomas Jones, Kerry Rhodes