The Day After Drill

In preparation for my weekly JetNation.com submission I usually stay up late, watch the game one more time, look at the statistics, and try to come up with analysis that focuses on the play, player or decisions that shaped the outcome.  Forgive me if I did not have the stomach to put myself through that this week.  The reality, however, is it doesn’t take a tremendous amount of time or research to understand the New York Jets problem; a complete lack of talented playmaking football players.  There is not a general manager alive that would covet a New York Jet to fill a void for a feature running back, a number one receiver, a starting quarterback, or in the absence of Darrelle Revis, an impact defender.   With or without the apparent loss of Santonio Holmes, Revis, and Dustin Keller, this team and its current nucleus are not winning.  They are not anywhere near the caliber of the quality teams that will be competing for a Super Bowl in January.

When the Jets acquired Tim Tebow this off season it was a mystery to me what they were thinking.  It may be even more confusing today.  Clearly they have no intention of playing him as a traditional quarterback. If they were considering that option I would think yesterday would have been as good a time as any to give him the offense.  Mark Sanchez was abysmally ineffective for the second straight week and the Jets were still in the game midway through the third quarter.   Was Tebow really brought in for an occasional decoy, wildcat, and to act as the up back on punt team?   I don’t know why he is on the roster and I bet he is beginning to wonder why as well.

So without looking to the magic of Tebow, what is the answer?  Because it is too early in the season to write an article about who will lead this organization in the future, for now the answer is, this is just our season.  Unless you’re the kind of fan willing to root for losses and a high draft pick, all a Jet fan can hope for is another mediocre record.   With a little luck maybe a win the Jets can hang their hats on; perhaps beating the Patriots at home will make a long season more manageable.

Here is some good news.  Sanchez has proven to most, and hopefully the Jet’s decision makers, that he is not the guy that will bring the prize back to New York.  So unlike the marriage between Joe Flacco and the Ravens or Tony Romo and the Cowboys, The New York Jets can move on and not cling to the hope that the flashes will become common place.  The worst thing that could happen this year is for Sanchez to string together a few quality starts and suddenly the hopes of winning are pinned on a quarterback that just won’t ever be a winner.

Another bright spot was Quinton Coples, showing up on a few nice tackles in the backfield.  It is hard to fathom when you watch this guy exhibit his raw strength that he won’t develop into a great football player.   He rushed Alex Smith’s throw on a 3^rd and 7 late in the first quarter on one of the several occasions when Kyle Wilson was beat deep.  He also dropped Frank Gore for a yard loss and in the process wrapped him up and threw him to the ground, not something you see happen to a hard-nosed runner like Gore.

I am not sure I have ever seen a corner back get burned as frequently as Kyle Wilson did yesterday and yet gesture as if he and not the poorly thrown ball had anything to do with the incompletion.   Does he really not know the difference between making a defensive play and an over thrown ball?

The Jets play their first of two Monday night games this week playing host to the 4-0 Houston Texans.  I am hopeful that the Texans will be looking past the Jets with two tough opponents on the horizon as they host Green Bay and Baltimore in the ensuing weeks.  But the history between these two teams may be what keeps them ready to play as the Jets are 5-0 against the Texans.  Let’s hope we are hanging our hats on something late Monday night.

Rick Allen

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