NY Jets Report Card (Week 1)

New York Jets 24 – Houston Texans 7
by Brian Clark (lawngnome o-line)

Quarterback: A-
Mark Sanchez: 18/31 272 yds 1TD, 1IN 84.3 QB rating

He had presence in the pocket and really looked great out there for his first career start. Looked a little shaky on his first few passes, and threw a couple of balls that could have been picked, overall he threw crisp passes and did a good job controlling the offense. The key to his play was his amazing job on 3rd down; 12-15 191 yards and a TD. Great job overall.

Running Back: B
Thomas Jones: 20 rushes 107 yds, 2TD
Leon Washington: 15 rushes 60 yards, 4 rec 24 yards

Although Thomas Jones looked really weak in the first half (14 yards on his first 13 carries), his 14th carry lead to his breakout run and 2nd TD for the day. Needs to keep his hands on the ball as we were fortunate to retain his two fumbles. Great job pounding the ball and it might have affected the D by the end. Leon’s had relative lack of success as well, and the “Seminole” look could have success as the season goes on. Although the Texans went out of their way to shut down the run, the running backs did decently well to keep the clock rolling.

Wide Receiver/Tight End: B+
Dustin Keller: 4 rec 94 yards
Jerricho Cotchery: 6 rec 90 yards
Chansi Stuckey: 4 rec 64 yds, 1 TD

I will include Keller with this group throughout this season, as he will more often than not be a main target for Sanchez than an impact in the running game. Keller is a target that is too fast for the opposing LB and two big for the CB. The head move he put on the Houston corner for a 25 yarder down the sideline was a thing of beauty.

Although Cotchery and Stuckey do not have the breakaway or deep threat speed, they are both extremely slippery and break tackles. Cotchery was his normal self, catching a 10 yarder and turning it into 20. Stuckey benefitted from a broken coverage and caught Sanchez’s first touchdown.

Offensive Line: A+

190 yards rushing, 2 rushing TD’s, no sacks allowed. What else do I need to add?

Defensive Line: A+

Kris Jenkins blew up more plays and allowed for Scott, Leonhard, and Harris to make all the plays behind him. He tossed 300lb o-liners to the side and looked like he skipped a meal and wanted to it Schaub.

Mike Devito getting that fumble recovery was the pure description of why this guy will benefit down the team. Chasing down one of the fastest RB’s 20 yards past the line of scrimmage and being in the right spot to get that ball was the turning point in my opinion in the game. He deserved that contract extension.

Linebackers: A+

Bart Scott having only 2 tackles does not fairly state his impact in the game. He was flying all over the field, getting in the backfield and laying out Schaub multiple times. Harris benefitted from Scott’s agreession picking up 11 tackles and a sack. Even Gholston got into the action with 3 tackles and 1 for a lost. Jamal Westerman picked up his first sack in his first career game as well. Great job by this group.

Secondary: A

I will say right now that Darelle Revis IS the corner in the league. The Best. I thought it was Nmandi Asomugha, but after his performance against Andre Johnson, either the number 1 or 2 receiver in the league, was exemplary. You didn’t even hear his name called.

Leonhard did a good job getting back and forth impacting both in the backfield and in the passing game. Rhodes had a quiet game, and Sheppard had an easy pick, but overall this group did great.

Coaching: A+++++

Ok. There is no better way to say that this group doesn’t deserve a lot of credit. Rex Ryan’s defense showed more aggressiveness in this one game than we saw in the entire time I’ve been a Jet fan. Shotty called a great game, and did not pull the reins in after Sanchez threw the pick. He was creative and was able to do what he wanted to do. The Blitzing scheme that Ryan and Pettine put together was great. Overloading the o-line and tricking them with late blitzers really confused Houston.

Players of the Game: Kris Jenkins, Darrelle Revis, Mark Sanchez

Here is the discussion thread, tell us what your report card looks like.

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