SB Nation - Sione Pouha

New York Jets Run Defense vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Run Offense

John B — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:16:46 -0000

The Bucs pass more than they run by a 403-293 ratio. Tampa might get more conservative this week with their rookie quarterback facing a blitzing defense. The top back on the roster is Cadillac Williams. He's got 572 yards on 144 carries, a 4.0 average. Williams has a lot of natural ability. He doesn't have a ton of weaknesses. The production hasn't really been there, though. Derrick Ward, his backup, is an elusive runner only averaging 3.6 per run on 84 carries. You have to think he's regretting leaving the Giants.

Williams and Ward are both good backs. The problem seems to be their blocking. We discussed earlier how Tampa Bay doesn't pass block well. Their run blocking also leaves something to be desired. The offensive line is comprised of five players who have consistently lost matchups this season. That's the only way a run game struggles with talented backs. Sione Pouha and Shaun Ellis have favorable matchups. Bart Scott and David Harris should stay relatively clean.

Given the run blocking struggles, it's somewhat surprising the Bucs haven't used Ernest Graham as a runner more. Graham is two years removed from a breakout 898 yard campaign. He's working primarily as a lead blocker this year. He's a tough inside runner capable of picking up tough yardage. He only has 12 carries this year.

One area the Bucs can burn the Jets on the ground is in the quarterback position. Josh Freeman has a 7.6 average on 18 carries. If the Jets sell out on the blitz, I do worry about Freeman's ability to turn a broken play into something if he finds some open field. Aside from that, the Jets seem to have an edge against the run.

Bills/Jets: Five Questions with Gang Green Nation

Brian Galliford — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:00:42 -0000

by Seth Wenig - AP

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The Buffalo Bills are 4-7. They're playing under the direction of an interim head coach. A year ago, the Bills were 6-5, and though they had lost four of five and were about to lose three straight and four of their last five, they were in (semi-)serious playoff contention at that point in time. Based on that fact alone, the Bills have clearly regressed from 2008 to 2009.

One clear area of progress, however, has been playing divisional games. Buffalo was swept by the AFC East in 2008, losing two games each to Miami, New England and New York and otherwise ruining a solid 7-3 out-of-conference record. To this point in the regular season, Buffalo is 2-2 in divisional games, registering victories over New York and Miami. Buffalo takes on the Jets this weekend in Toronto looking to sweep our green friends from New Jersey for the second time in three years (Buffalo swept the Jets in 2007).

Joining us this morning is John B from SB Nation's Jets blog, Gang Green Nation. His Q&A with Buffalo Rumblings starts now, and you can see his reciprocating interview here.

What's the latest on the Mark Sanchez knee situation? Will he be hampered at all on Thursday?

I don't think there really is any situation. He left the game briefly on Sunday, but he was back for the next series. Sanchez was wearing a knee brace. He's shown good mobility so maybe it will cut back on that a bit, but he really didn't seem to show any effects from the injury once he got back into the game.

Speaking of Sanchez, I'll get the obligatory status update on him now. Since he threw 5 INT against Buffalo, he's thrown 7 more in 5 games. He's only completing 53% of his passes, and the Jets are 2-6 in their last eight. Obviously the hype has cooled off considerably, but are you still seeing signs of a franchise quarterback?

I think so. The Jets implemented a code system before last week's game, which essentially is the coaching staff giving him guidelines for how acceptable taking a risk on a throw is in a given spot. It worked. His decision making was very good.

There have been games where he's looked like the worst quarterback in the NFL. That's to be expected of a rookie. The good is there have also been games like Miami and Jacksonville where he looked comfortable leading the team back from deficits. He's still a work in progress and needs to protect the ball better. Still, I think back to 2007. At the end of that year, I said to myself that Kellen Clemens hadn't given any indication he was the answer. I won't have the same feeling with Sanchez at the end of the year.

The Jets are obviously leaning heavily on Thomas Jones, as he's carried the ball at least 21 times in each of the team's last six games. Is he wearing down? Should the Jets be using Shonn Greene more?

He's gone over the century mark in 3 of the past 5 games so I don't think he's slowing down. His numbers look pretty good, but it's even more impressive when you consider having a mistake prone rookie quarterback has meant a lot of loaded fronts. Greene has fumbled twice in the past four games so I think Jones will continue to carry a heavy load.

What's your read on just how much the Jets have missed Kris Jenkins? Statistically, the Jets don't appear tangibly worse defending the run.

There are a few factors at play. The Jets have used more four man fronts. Also, his replacement in the starting lineup, Sione Pouha, has done a good job holding the point of attack. They miss Jenkins a lot, though. He's a disruptive force on the defensive line. Opponents always have to worry about him in their blocking schemes. Pouha can tie up blockers. Jenkins consistently beats them and makes plays in the backfield.

Bills fans may not be aware of the situation at safety with Kerry Rhodes and Eric Smith. Mind sharing the Cliff's Notes version of Rhodes' benching and where the team moves from his 2-INT performance against Carolina?

Long story short on Kerry Rhodes: Unheralded fourth round pick from Louisville in 2005. Impressed the coaches enough to start all 16 as a rookie. Broke out in 2006 and 2007 playing at a Pro Bowl level. Got a big contract before 2008. Stopped making impact plays immediately after, although he started talking himself up to the media a lot more. Got burned on a decisive play in a loss to Jacksonville and looked miserable in coverage at New England and shied away from contact in run support. Got benched for Carolina game and had a pair of interceptions.

He won't start this week. The guy who replaced him against the Panthers, Eric Smith, led the team in tackles in that game so Rex Ryan has said he's sticking with Smith. Rex said that Rhodes has earned himself more playing time for the game in Toronto than he had last week, though.

New York Jets Run Defense vs. Carolina Panthers Run Offense

John B — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:15:40 -0000

by Patrick Semansky - AP

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Like the Jets, the Panthers own one of the best rushing attacks in the league. Unlike the Jets, they lean on two different backs instead of one. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart might be the best tailback tandem in football. Williams has 982 yards, 7 touchdowns, and a 5.1 average. Had the Panthers not snatched him up in the 2006 Draft right before the Jets went on the clock, there's a chance the Jets may have grabbed him instead of Nick Mangold. Stewart has 509 yards, 6 touchdowns, and a 4.6 average. Williams is the complete package as a runner. Stewart only really lacks breakaway speed. Stewart has been battling an Achilles injury but participated in practice fully on Friday and should be ready to go.

The Panthers are a great run blocking team. Ryan Kalil fights with Nick Mangold and Miami's Jake Grove for the title of best run blocking center. Sione Pouha and Howard Green will have their hands full. David Harris and Bart Scott had better be comfortable working in traffic. The Jets have shown more four man fronts since the Kris Jenkins injury. I wouldn't be surprised to see that trend continue. Carolina will miss Jordan Gross on the left side. Travelle Wharton represents a major downgrade at left tackle. The rest of the Panthers line is full of solid blockers from Jeff Otah to Keydrick Vincent to MacKenzy Bernadeau.

Carolina also has an excellent lead blocking fullback, Brad Hoover, although they do like to run a lot of three receiver and double tight sets so Hoover, who is battling an ankle injury may not see much time. It's going to be really important for the secondary to assist in run support. Muhsin Muhammad in particular is an excellent blocking receiver. Lito Sheppard might be called on to get off a block and make a key tackle when the Panthers send Williams outside.

Patriots 31 Jets 14: Bitter Revenge

John B — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:58:22 -0000

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The slide continues. The Jets are 4-6 and now a Playoff longshot. The Patriots dominated them today, winning 31-14 in Foxborough. This is the kind of Jets-Pats game we've come to know and hate. If New England wanted to get revenge for Week 2 and make a statement, they sure did that. This one was ugly and uncompetitive from the start.

More after the jump.

The Bad:

Mark Sanchez: Another ugly day for the rookie. He looked confused and rattled by New England's pass rush all day on his way to an 8 of 21, 5 turnover affair. There were a lot of bad mistakes. He made bad reads, had some horribly inaccurate throws, and threw one interception off his wrong foot, against his body, and into coverage in the face of a heavy pass rush instead of just throwing it away. He just looked lost out there for most of this one. Unfortunately, days like this are part of having a rookie quarterback. The only way to learn is to make mistakes. With the season pretty much lost, I think all calls for his benching should end. At least the last 6 games can be used to get more time under his belt.

Braylon Edwards: Only a catch for 10 yards. He was silent and had a drop that ended a drive early. Who knows how that could have changed the complexion of the contest?

Defensive Approach: I haven't been very critical of the coaching staff, but the first half left a lot to be desired. The Jets played a base 4-3 and send the linemen. In such a scheme, there are three guys whose job is to generate a pass rush. The nose tackle, Sione Pouha, was there to draw a double team. The three responsible for the rush were ends Bryan Thomas and Calvin Pace. These guys were both considered first round busts because of their respective inabilities to rush the passer as 4-3 ends. Shaun Ellis played the under tackle. Remember how Herm Edwards tried to move him there early in his career and how ineffective he was? This scheme put guys in positions they are proven to not be adept at, although Ellis did have a good game. The only way to stop Tom Brady is to get pressure on him. I'm not sure I get why the Jets didn't come out with the apporach that worked so well in the first meeting, sending pressure from all angles.

There was also the time the Jets disguised a blitz, moved everybody to the line, sent 3, and left nobody deep. I tend to believe there's never a good time to rush 3, but the idea of doing that is to minimize the possibility of a big play. Moving everybody to the line and sending nobody is the worst of all worlds. There's little chance to generate a pass rush, and guys are out of position. Wes Welker had a long grab to set up a score.

Speaking of Welker, the Jets hung Drew Coleman out to dry. Coleman is the fifth best corner on the roster and hardly has any cover skills. He has no business playing man on Welker. Coleman was burned as often as any corner I've ever seen play in a single game. Welker had 15 receptions for 192 yards. Couldn't anybody else cover him? Was something wrong with Lito Sheppard?

Drew Coleman: I know he had no business playing on Welker, but I reiterate that was one of the worst performances of all time.

Kerry Rhodes: About the only time we heard his name, he was either missing a tackle or arriving late in coverage.

The Good:

Special Teams: A few weeks ago, we had people calling for Mike Westhoff to be fired. I don't think we'll see that today. There was a blocked punt that gave the Jets life in the second and David Clowney and Dwight Lowery both had returns in excess of 35 yards.

Darrelle Revis: Maybe Randy Moss will give him a little credit now. Revis quieted Moss again to the tune of 5 catches for 35 yards and several passes defensed. Even in the passes Moss caught, Revis was in perfect coverage, and he didn't do much after his receptions.

Thomas Jones: Quietly compiled another 100 yard game.

David Harris: Led the team with 14 tackles and was the one guy to make Welker pay for going over the middle.

Shaun Ellis: Had a pair of sacks.

Effort: I will give the Jets credit for not quitting in the second half like the Titans did in Foxborough a few weeks back. It was clear these guys battled until the end, and they even turned a 24-0 game into a competitive contest for a bit.

There's not really much else to say. The Pats were so dominant today it wasn't even funny. They made a statement about who the best team in the East really is. The Jets are probably playing out the string at this point.

New York Jets Run Defense vs. New England Patriots Run Offense

John B — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:43:56 -0000

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The Pats have almost a 50-50 run-pass split offensively, but they do most of their real damage through the air. Their running game is nowhere near as dynamic. Their top back, Fred Taylor, is nursing an ankle injury. Laurence Maroney has 94 carries and 378 yards for a pedestrian 4.0 average. He and Kevin Faulk, who has a 5.1 average, are both quick enough to be effective on draws. My guess is the Pats use a lot to try and catch blitzers up field. Aside from this, I don't expect the Pats to try and pound the ball despite New York's defensive struggles against the run (18th ranked run defense). Their strength is passing the ball. They won't go away from that.

Sione Pouha will have his hands full with Dan Koeppen, Steven Neal, and Logan Mankins, all quality run blockers. The Jets don't have the luxury of giving him much help today with four man fronts they may have had against Miami and Jacksonville. The Jets need to primarily play 3-4 to disguise the blitzers. Pouha has done good work holding the point of attack. He'll need to have his best game to help slow down the New England run game. He has to occupy two blockers.

Sammy Morris will also see action for New England. He has a 3.6 average on 30 carries.

New York Jets Pass Defense vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Pass Offense

John B — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:33:16 -0000

by Phil Coale - AP

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The Jaguars bring an element to the passing game New York's pass rush has not seen this season. David Garrard is the most mobile quarterback the Jets have faced all year. He has 191 yards on the ground and 5.0 per carry. If his pocket collapses, he has the ability to extend plays to give his receivers extra time and to make plays on his own with his feet. It's going to be important for blitzers to stay disciplined, keep in their lanes, and tackle properly. A whiff on a sack will give Garrard a chance to make plays.

The good news is the Jets will have a great chance to put Garrard under constant pressure. Jacksonville has made five lineup changes on the offensive line through its first eight games. An offensive line functions as a unit. What the guy next to you does bears a direct impact on how difficult your assignments are. Just think of D'Brickashaw Ferguson. Do you think it's an accident his worst season as a pro was 2007, the year Adrien Clarke lined up next to him? Or that his play took off to Pro Bowl caliber level once the Jets signed Alan Faneca? A lot has to do with comfort level with those surrounding you. Part of the reason the Jets have such a great offensive line is talent. It's also that all five have started 24 consecutive games with each other.

It looks like the Jets will be against a pair of rookie tackles, Eugene Monroe and Ebon Britton. They both show flashes of potential, but their pass blocking has been an issue at times. Monroe has given up 4 sacks and Britton 3. Britton has allowed an unsightly 26 quarterback pressures, while Monroe is at 14. That puts both tackles in the top fifteen in the league. Center Brad Meester might have a tough time with Sione Pouha and require help. The guards, Vince Manuwai and Vince Manuwai are probably the best on the line.

Maurice Jones-Drew is a surprisingly solid pass blocker despite his small size, but the Jaguars will want to involve him in the passing game and get him the ball in space. If the Jets get to Garrard, Jacksonville will have to leave their back in more than they want. Same with their tight end, Marcedes Lewis, who has 17 receptions. They will also involve Ernest Wilfork in double tight sets, but Lewis is a better pass protector.

Again, it will likely come down to Garrard's ability to buy himself some extra time and the Jets' ability to bring pressure quickly. By this point, we know Darrelle Revis can take any receiver out of the game. He's only one player, though. The Jaguars have two good receivers, Torry Holt and Mike Sims-Walker. Dwight Lowery is starting opposite Revis instead of Lito Sheppard. I like Dwight. He's played well, but if Garrard buys himself some extra time, I worry about his ability to cover either for an extended period. Holt has lost a lot of his speed, but he is still an excellent route runner going to work on an inexperienced corner. Sims-Walker is starting to emerge as a big play threat for Jacksonville. Dwight's got great ball skills, but can he maintain coverage? It might be a good idea to get Lito in there if Garrard's mobility becomes a factor.

Overall, though, I like the matchup. The Jets feast on unstable offensive lines.

New York Jets Run Offense vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Run Defense

John B — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:24:04 -0000

by Peter Morgan - AP

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The Jaguars have one of the worst statistical run defenses in football. The Chiefs did little to try and exploit it last week, running only 12 times. Part of this was due to them playing from behind. The Jets are going to test Jacksonville's new 4-3 base defense much more up front.

Jacksonville hopes its strength will come from up the middle and tackles John Henderson and Terrance Knighton. Henderson is a multi time Pro Bowler. Knighton is a rookie space eater. He's been pretty good defending the run, although he's less likely to beat his man and penetrate. He's more of a Sione Pouha type. Atiyyah Ellison will rotate in with them, a guy who doesn't do anything poorly but also doesn't do anything particularly well.

Derrick Harvey will line up at one end. He weighs in at 281 pounds, big for a 4-3 end. His play against the run seems to have improved a bit with the move to the 4-3. On the other side, the Jaguars will play a pair of smallish ends, Quentin Groves, a small speedy guy who is something of a liability in the run game and Bryan Smith, an even smaller player. They are in there to provide the pass rush. Jacksonville hopes the Jets run away from them, which they might if they are lined up against D'Brickashaw Ferguson, and Gang Green is best running it right.

Daryl Smith is Jacksonville's best linebacker against the run. Smith does everything well. For my money, he's one of the most overlooked players in football. He's had success at both middle and outside linebacker during his career. He'll start outside on the weak side. Justin Durant, who starts in the middle does a decent job against the run. Jacksonville wants the tackles to keep him clean. Strong side backer Clint Ingram is the weakest defending the run. I would expect the Jets to target him.

As always, Jacksonville will probably stick 8 in the box against the rookie quarterback, but neither safety Reggie Nelson nor Gerald Alexander has provided Jacksonville much in run support this year, which is stark considering how much their 3-4 base struggled against the run until they switched their scheme last week.

What are the keys? Knighton played nose in the 3-4 so he'll likely line up against Nick Mangold. Mangold has to control him on his own. The idea for any nose tackle is to occupy a pair of blockers. Nick has been great controlling his assignments to this point against more decorated linemen. The strength at the center position springs the run game because the Jets have an extra blocker who does not need to dedicate himself to blocking the nose. The Jets will. Knighton lined up on the left side against the Chiefs. If he does again, that will leave Brandon Moore, Damien Woody, and Tony Richardson to take on an end and linebacker. This looks like it could be a favorable matchup for the Jets.

John's Midseason Jets Awards

John B — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:08:54 -0000

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I'm giving my choices for team awards at the halfway point.

MVP: Darrelle Revis

What can you say about Revis this year? The guy has literally cut the field in half for opposing passing attacks. He's completely shut down Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, and Terrell Owens. You can probably count the number of plays he's looked bad on one hand. This blitzing defense leaves corners on an island. Revis seldom has any help. That makes the job he's done even more impressive. It's a lot easier for this coaching staff to take chances when it knows Revis will blanket his man even if the offense picks up a blitz.

Offensive Player of the Half-Year: Thomas Jones

TJ had a bit of a slow start, but that was due in part to teams stacking the box against a rookie quarterback and his line struggling a bit early. He led the AFC in rushing a year ago, and he's on pace to put up even better numbers this season. Now opponents are stacking the box because they have to. Jones' play is going to be a major asset for Mark Sanchez the rest of the season.

Defensive Player of the Half-Year: Revis

Rookie of the Half-Year: Mark Sanchez

There's not a ton of competition here, but Sanchez has been far better and looked way more polished than I expected. He's had two real stinkers against the Saints and Bills. He had one game where he didn't have to do anything against the Raiders. The other five games were all good to very good performances. There's room to improve, mainly in protecting the ball and not locking on to targets. At the end of the day, it's not easy to even be 4-4 with a rookie starting quarterback. He's one of two rookies to beat Bill Belichick. The other, Ben Roethlisberger, has a pair of Super Bowl rings. He led his team from behind twice in the fourth in a hostile venue on national television against the Dolphins a few weeks ago. Sanchez looks like the real deal.

Coach of the Half-Year: Rex Ryan

This award is a competition among coaches on the staff. Mike Westhoff may have gotten this before last week, but Rex has earned it. He's really transformed this defense. A year ago, one of my biggest complaints was the talent on the defense not being utilized properly. No such complaints this year. The Jets are giving up the second fewest yards in the league and the fourth fewest points (and this includes points off special teams and turnovers; it would be even better if we're talking about defensive points), and Rex's well designed schemes have been terrific. He's also instilled a sense of confidence in this team. Sometimes he'll end up with egg on his face for his swagger if the team doesn't perform, but for the first time in a while you get the impression the Jets are expecting to win every time they take the field. He made great adjustments for the second meeting with the Dolphins after they ran all over him the first time. He can improve in his game management, but overall I've been very impressed. This team has built a strong foundation for the long haul with a promising quarterback and a brilliant defensive mind as head coach.

High Point of the Half-Year: Win over New England

I think this win was from a mental standpoint as good as three wins. The Jets talked all week. They went in expecting to win. They kept Tom Brady out of the end zone, off the scoreboard in the second half, and held him under 50% completing the ball. I always got the impression under Herm Edwards and Eric Mangini the Jets were hoping to beat the Pats when the teams played. This time, the Jets expected to win. It was something of a catharsis game. The Pats are a great team. They'll surely beat the Jets in the future, but I get the impression we'll remember this game as the one the Jets finally asserted themselves as legitimate challengers. There was no backup quarterback like last year. You have to love the way the media has played this win off as the Pats not being sharp at the beginning of the year. The reason they weren't sharp was that the Jets outexecuted them.

Low Point of the Half-Year: Loss to Buffalo

You could argue last week's game against Miami. It's surely frustrating to loss a game when the other team can't move the ball on you all game, and their defense can't stop you in the second half. Regardless of whether the Dolphins end the year with a winning record, though, they're a plucky team and a tough out. This loss to Buffalo was totally inexplicable. The Bills had a backup quarterback and lost to Eric Mangini's Browns the week before, even though Cleveland's starting quarterback was 2 for 17. I don't care that Mark Sanchez threw 5 interceptions. They couldn't stop the Jets on the ground, and New York had a 10 point second half lead. Two horrible penalties in overtime really cost the team.

Best Offseason Move: Trading Up for Mark Sanchez

The signing of Bart Scott deserves consideration, but this move was a franchise changer. The book has not been written on Sanchez, but it looks promising. A miss there by Mike Tannenbaum sets the franchise back for years. It doesn't look that way right now. The Jets look like they have a quarterback, and that move could set the team up to contend for a long time.

Worst Offseason Move: Trading for Lito Sheppard

The book on Sheppard is that he's talented, but he can't stay on the field. That's why the Eagles never gave him the big deal he was seeking. That's played out so far this year. While Lito has looked good, he's played in under half the games. Not only that, but Dwight Lowery, a cheaper internal option during the offseason, has looked good in his place. I'm not giving up on Lito. Don't take it that way. It's just if the Jets had known this, they probably consider holding onto the Draft picks and the money from the new contract and just hand Lowery the starting job.

Most Improved Player: Sione Pouha

One thing that stuck out to me even before Kris Jenkins' injury was how much better Pouha was playing at the point of attack. Last year, he was consistently losing matchups, and the run defense took a hit once Jenkins left the field. This year, Pouha has been much stouter and done a good job demanding double teams. If he continues to improve the rest of the way, this team still has a chance to do things this season. His play is a credit to the coaching staff. Rex was known for the way he maximized the output of his stars in Baltimore, but there's been a stark improvement in the play of guys like Pouha, Mike Devito, and Eric Smith (and the development of Jamaal Westerman) with this new regime.

Most Disappointing Player: Kerry Rhodes

Kerry was supposed to play the Ed Reed role on this defense. He was supposed to be all over the place making plays. Jim Leonhard taking over making calls was supposed to free him up. I can't remember too many impact plays Kerry has made this season. In 2006 and 2007, he was a play making machine. He hasn't been the same guy since he got his contract.

Agree? Disagree? What awards did I miss? Let me know below.

Woody Johnson & Marques Douglas Encouraged

David_Wyatt — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:01:00 -0000

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There is a terrible atmosphere around the Jets at the moment, it can be expected after going 1-4 over the past 5 weeks, but lets keep some things in perspective. We have had a day to moan, gripe, feel sorry for ourselves, but now it's time to move on from all of that. Put the first half of the season in the rear view mirror and focus on the final 8 games of the season.

One thing is for sure Woody Johnson is now downhearted:

Woody was asked what it says about the Jets that, heading into tonight's final game of Week 8, Atlanta at New Orleans, they have the NFL's No. 1 rushing offense and No. 2 overall defense.

"Surely you're cooking with something," he said. "If somebody told me that before the season, I'd be jumping for joy. We know we're a good football team. We've just got to be consistent with it all the time. If we want to be the team we say we want to be, you've got to play your best ball in November and December."

I know a lot of people are down right now, but 4-4 is a good record. Yes because we have a rookie head coach and yes because we have a rookie QB. That is a valid excuse. We are not getting blown away by any means, we are in every single game, now we need to turn those nearly's into victories.

"I'm very encouraged," DT Marques Douglas said. "We have a dominating offensive line at times. We have a dominating defense at times. I'm encouraged that our rookie quarterback, Mark Sanchez, has come into this league and has already won four games. I'm encouraged that Sione Pouha has stepped up and filled in Kris Jenkins' shoes. I'm also encouraged by the way we just stick together whether it's a win or a loss. There's no divide in this locker room. The coaches made this very clear, that we win as a team and we lose as a team."

Regardless of the record, teams are not going to want to play us. We are a good football team who can beat any football team in the league. We can also lose to any, just like Rex said. So let's pick ourselves up, start looking ahead to the game against the Jaguars.

Pointing fingers gets you nowhere, especially not this early into a new era with a new regime and a new face of the franchise.

Dolphins 30 Jets 25: Sick to My Stomach

John B — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:36:03 -0000

I don't think the Jets could have gone into the bye on a worse note. Today's 30-25 loss to Miami at the Meadowlands stings. It drops the Jets to 4-4, one and a half games in back of the Patriots in the division, two in the loss column. The Dolphins are just half a game back, even in the loss column, and holding the head to head tiebreaker in addition to a 3-0 division record. The Jets are 1-3 in division.

Beyond the frustration of losing is the way the Jets lost. It's very difficult to win in the NFL when you're spotting the opponent 21 nonoffensive points. All of these points had more to do with what the Jets didn't do than what the Dolphins did right.

More after the jump.

The Bad:

Kickoff Coverage: I guess it goes without saying that kickoff coverage belongs here when the opponent runs a pair of kicks back for touchdowns. The Jets looked like they were Purdue against Ted Ginn. There were so many errors on the kicks, it wasn't even funny. There was Jay Feely drilling it too low on the first one. Danny Woodhead didn't contain to the outside. Wallace Wright took a bad angle to Ginn. Larry Izzo whiffed on a tackle on the second one. Guys didn't stay in their lanes. Against a speedster like Ginn, that's asking for trouble. I wouldn't be surprised to see at least one guy on kickoff coverage released between now and the next game.

Larry Izzo: Wasn't he supposed to be on the roster for his special teams play? There was his missed tackle on Ginn, but there was also the inexplicable running into the punter penalty. He had no shot at blocking a punt and still dove into the punter. Izzo is a candidate to be that guy released.

Shonn Greene: Even when Mark Sanchez has been bad, I've gone easy on him. It's rough adjusting to the NFL for a quarterback. So much is different from college. A rookie running back doesn't get the same kind of slack. Sure, there are some things that are different. One is the extra blocking duties. The defenders are also bigger and stronger. Still, you have to hold onto the football. His unforced fumble was a total gift to Jason Taylor.

Justin Miller: Is he in game shape? He looked pretty ordinary on returns (5 for 115). It seemed like he had trouble getting quickly to his lanes and breaking tackles.

Alan Faneca: Lost a ton of one on one battles, including a decisive Randy Starks sack.

The Good:

The Defense: The defense deserved better. It only allowed 9 points, and 3 were the result of a short field. The blitzes got to Chad Henne this time, even though the 'Fins did many of the same things they did in the first game like max protecting and rolling him out. 6 sacks on Chad Henne and only 112 passing yards. Henne got rattled and made some terribly inaccurate throws when he heard footsteps. Ronnie Brown had under 3 yards per carry. Ricky Williams was just over 3. Just a dominant performance by the defense. It avenged its only poor performance of the year. This unit has played much better than its 4-4.

Mark Sanchez: No question the rookie was the best quarterback on the field. The disastrous third quarter put the Jets behind two scores. Although the coaching staff was very conservative early, they had no choice but to let Sanchez cut it loose. Mark put 22 up in the second half (with an assist from Davone Bess) and had the Jets on the verge of a winning touchdown. The Dolphins covered New York's receivers on the goal line, and the offensive line had a breakdown. Not Mark's fault. He did make an incredible throw to Dustin Keller on fourth and long to prolong the drive. Great touch on the ball.

Dustin Keller: Where has this guy been all year? 8 catches for 76 yards and a great grab on the receiving end of that fourth down play. I'll give the coaching staff some credit too. Miami's struggled covering the tight end, and it seems like the calls made Keller Sanchez's primary read. Is this the start of big things? Will he become Mark's safety blanket? Stay tuned.

Braylon Edwards: 4 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Certified Dolphin killer. And if you ever question his heart, watch the way he fought his way into the end zone on the touchdown grab.

Thomas Jones: Another 100 yard day. The average wasn't too great, but put it in context. The Dolphins were loading up the box all day. There were a lot of times nothing was there. He made a lot of guys miss.

Sione Pouha: Miami's vaunted rushing attack gained 2.3 per carry. Pouha was a force inside clogging lanes. He had 5 tackles and opened things up for others.

Shaun Ellis: Nice of him to finally show up this year. He had 1.5 sacks and generally won his matchups on the line. The way Miami was leaving extra blockers in, guys were going to have to win their matchups to get to him.

David Harris: 5 tackles and a sack. He was all over the place.

Bart Scott: 8 tackles and the sack that got the Jets the ball back for their last drive with a chance to win. So was he.

Defensive Approach: Give the staff credit. They adjusted well from the first game. The Wildcat was held in check. The Jets did a much better job of staying in their lanes. They also sent extra men from the secondary. It worked. It may have left them vulnerable to the pass, but they closed on Brown well and forced him to eat it for a big loss and got a ball deflected both times he was looking to throw it. The fact is the formation is usually a running formation. Passes are going to be few and far between. When they do try to throw it, Brown isn't putting it up unless he has a guy wide open and isn't under pressure. He's not trained to throw. It's always best to attack him with extra men even if it leaves a guy open. Force the running back to make a throw.

I also liked the Pace-Gholston-Ellis-Westerman line on passing downs.

We saw plenty of the Ellis-Green-Pouha-Douglas line and Pace-Harris-Scott linebacking look I predicted to stop the run. It worked.

Again, Henne was on the run all day and got hit so much he felt heat and rushed his throws even when there was none.

I don't expect this to be a fun bye. This team should not have lost this game. The Jets lost the first game to Miami because the Dolphins outexecuted them. They lost this game because they self-destructed. Give the Dolphins credit for not self-destructing I guess, but there's no way this team should be 4-4 at the halfway point. That's where we're at, though. At this point, we have a mediocre football team on our hands.