SB Nation - David Clowney

New York Jets Pass Offense vs. Carolina Panthers Pass Defense

John B — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:14:53 -0000

The Panthers enter this game with a top five pass defense, giving up only 185 yards per game under first year coordinator Ron Meeks. Meeks is a disciple of Tony Dungy and favors the Tampa 2 defense. This scheme depends a lot on the front four to generate a pass rush. There is very little blitzing. In fact, the Panthers only have 2 sacks all year from non linemen. It is primarily an execution based defense. You more or less know what is coming, but it is not all that easy to beat.

Julius Peppers is Carolina's best pass rusher. The 6'7" 283 pound end could probably fit on the line in either a 4-3 or a 3-4 system. He leads the team with 7 sacks on the year. He is being slowed by an undisclosed hand injury, which has limited his playing time recently. His play has been somewhat up and down this year. Tyler Branton also plays end for the Panthers. He has 2.5 sacks and 16 pressures. Rookie Everette Brown from Florida State will also see time at end. He spent a lot of time subbing for Peppers last week. Charles Johnson, a part of Carolina's nickle package on the pass rush, is battling a pectoral injury. His status is unclear. No Carolina tackle has a sack this year. Based on this, the key matchup will be Peppers against D'Brickashaw Ferguson. Peppers has 7 of his team's 18 sacks this year. If D'Brickashaw does his job, there's a good chance the Jets will keep Mark Sanchez clean.

Linebackers and secondary players in a system like this play a lot of zone coverage. The middle linebacker in particular must be very athletic and cover a lot of ground. The safeties are playing Cover 2 deep, which means everything in front of them in the middle of the field falls to him. Jon Beason mans this role for the Panthers. He's been good near the line, leading the team in tackles and been solid in coverage. Carolina is thinner at outside linebacker. Standout Thomas Davis, who was excellent this year in zone coverage, is on injured reserve. So in backup Landon Johnson. Another starting outside linebacker, Na'il Diggs, is banged up with injured ribs and quite possibly could be out Sunday. That could leave young players James Anderson and Dan Connor outside. They both have been adequate against the pass, but it could leave Dustin Keller opportunities to find seams.

Carolina will likely start Richard Marshall and Chris Gamble on the outside at corner. They comprise a solid tandem. Gamble had a rough game against the Dolphins last week, but he has good cover skills. Marshall has been a solid performer all year. At safety Charles Godfrey is battling an ankle injury for the Panthers. If he can't go, he'll be replaced by rookie Sherrod Martin. Martin has started the last 4 games and arguably played better than Godfrey, who has struggled. Chris Harris, the other safety, has also had some lapses. Still, this defense is a Cover 2 with an emphasis on safeties playing conservatively to prevent big plays. I'm not sure I'd count on Braylon Edwards or David Clowney as vertical threats. A good route runner like Jerricho Cotchery will probably be the primary target working to find holes in the zone.

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 Pass Offense vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Pass Defense

John B — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:00:39 -0000

by Peter Morgan - AP

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Jacksonville's defense looked transformed against the Kansas City Chiefs last week. The unit had struggled all season long to generate pressure against opposing quarterbacks all year, 5 in the first 7 games, but registed 3 last Sunday and applied constant pressure. Playing against a suspect offensive line and a quarterback who holds the ball too long had a lot to do with it, but the Jags also changed their scheme. After running a 3-4 defense, a poorly thought out Mangini style scheme change, Jacksonville reverted to using the 4-3 as their base. The Jaguars did display some 3-4 against the Chiefs and zone blitzed a lot to try and confuse the protection. Against a rookie quarterback, expect a lot more of this. Also expect the four first round picks and Brandon Moore on the offensive line to do a lot better against the Jaguars.

Jacksonville's 4-3 has strength built up the middle. John Henderson is still playing at a high level. He registered a sack, a hit, and 5 pressures against the Chiefs. He's joined by Terrence Knighton, a 325 rookie from Temple who does not have a great burst to get to the quarterback but freqently occupies a pair of tacklers to open things up for others. 2008 first round pick Derrick Harvey played inspired football against Kansas City, displaying good power moves and athleticism against Brandon Albert, the talented young left tackle from Virginia. He'll look to duplicate his performance against another young talented left tackle from Virginia, D'Brickashaw Ferguson. The way D'Brickashaw and Nick Mangold are playing, I feel comfortable with the Jets' ability to hold Henderson and Harvey in check.

Bryan Smith will start at left end in place of another 2008 pass rushing draftee Quentin Groves. Groves is raw but has a lot of athletic ability. He can get to the quarterback but it really best served as a situational pass rusher. The Jags will probably use him as a rusher both with his hand on and off the ground. Aside from then, his playing time could be limited because he struggles against the run and is giving up over 60 pounds to Damien Woody. Can you say mismatch? Smith is even smaller than Groves. It will be important for him to get off the line quickly and use his speed against Woody because unless he gets on top of Damien quickly, he will be overpowered.

Daryl Smith is going to play a key role for Jacksonville. The outside linebacker is excellent in pass coverage and will probably draw Dustin Keller frequently. The Jets made Keller Mark Sanchez's primary read against Miami to try and keep things simple and safe. Keller responded with his best game of the year. Keller is going to give Smith all he can handle (as well as linebackers Justin Durant, who is solid in pass coverage and Clint Ingram, who is something of a liability). Smith will also be used as a blitzer. He had 2 sacks and 3 pressures against the Chiefs.

On the outside, there will be plays to be made. The secondary of Rashean Mathis and Derek Cox at corner and Reggie Nelson and Gerald Alexander has been suspect all year, and you can only blame the pass rush to a certain extent. The Jags are giving up over 240 yards through the air. Alexander is nursing a shoulder injury. Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery have the edge here and will all day. Keller also will have a great chance to exploit the safeties in coverage. I'd also look for David Clowney to have an impact. The Jaguars will be aggressive, and the Chiefs burned them long on a safety blitz.

I think the Jets handle the pass rush well. They have a significantly better offensive line than Kansas City. If he has to, Brian Schottenheimer can leave in extra blockers as he frequently did against the Dolphins and give Mark Sanchez time to find the matchups that favor his receivers.

New York Jets Run Offense vs. Miami Dolphins Run Defense

John B — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:42:35 -0000

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Once upon a time, the league's best rushing attack was struggling. Then came a Week 5 game at Miami. A talented offensive line kicked it into gear. The Jets ran the ball for 138 yards and 4.6 per carry. Two 300 yard rushing performances followed. In this time, the Jets have vastly scaled back their offense for their rookie quarterback. Teams have known what is coming and have stacked the box. It hasn't mattered. The offensive line has its sea legs after a slow start run blocking.

This is going to be a lot tougher than the games against Buffalo and Oakland. Despite the way the Jets ran the ball at Miami three weeks ago, the Dolphins still have a top five rush defense. Whenever the opponent plays a 3-4, a key matchup occurs between the nose tackle and center. The job of the nose tackle is to hold the point of attack and occupy two linebackers. Miami has a good nose tackle in Jason Ferguson and a developing young backup, Paul Solai. Nick Mangold's ability to contain the pair will go a long way to deciding how well the Jets run the ball.

Miami is probably going to be without inside linebacker Channing Crowder, their second leading tackler a year ago. The only thing Crowder does more than tackle is talk. Reggie Torbor will take a lot of the snaps in his place. He'll pair with Akin Ayodele, who has 25 tackles.

The Dolphins have been vulnerable on the left side of their defensive line, where Kendall Langford lines up. That's the side of the field the Jets love to pound the ball. Randy Starks is the other end in the 3-4.

We know the Jets are going to run, run, and run some more. Miami's leading tackler Yeremiah Bell will probably line up in the box. As we discussed earlier this week, Braylon Edwards and David Clowney can play a big role in the passing game. If they can stretch this defense and keep the safeties back, it will be that much easier to run. With that said, the Jets seem to match up well with Miami.

New York Jets Pass Offense vs. Miami Dolphins Pass Defense

John B — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:30:39 -0000

by Ben Margot - AP

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I think it's fair to say the coaching staff lost a bit of confidence in Mark Sanchez after the 5 interception performance against the Bills. The almost 4-1 run to pass ratio indicates that. So do the almost exclusively safe, simple reads he was given on the pass plays. The Jets are probably going to run first and second, but they'll need more from Sanchez this week. They won't be able to run the ball on Miami's physical front to the degree they did on Buffalo and Oakland.

The Jets should have some areas to exploit in the passing game. Braylon Edwards had that big debut a few weeks back working against Miami's secondary. He'll work against rookie Sean Smith. The Dolphins need the big and athletic Utah product to hold Edwards in check. If Edwards goes off like he did in the first meeting, Miami will have to double him.

On the other side, Jerricho Cotchery will probably be back for this one. He'll operate against rookie Vontae Davis. Starter Will Allen is gone for the season for Miami with a torn ACL. Davis has looked pretty good for the Dolphins and has plenty of athletic ability, but the Jets have to like this matchup. Cotchery was getting open even when he was the focal point of the opposing passing game, and he'll have the opportunity to work against a guy making his first NFL start and who is still learning technique at the position.

David Clowney has put up a big performance in two of the past three contests. He burned the Dolphins deep in Miami and will see action against a relatively slow straight line corner, Nate Jones.

The real question is whether the real Dustin Keller will please stand up. The Dolphins have had trouble with athletic tight ends this year. There may be no bigger disappointment on the team than Keller. This is a matchup made in heaven for him. Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele are subpar linebackers in coverage. Neither Gibril Wilson nor Yeremiah Bell is spectacular as safeties. Edwards and Clowney will have a great chance to force those safeties to stay deep and give Keller room against the linebackers.

The offensive line will need to hold up against Jason Taylor, Joey Porter, and Cameron Wake. Sanchez will need to have it in his head that throwing it away quickly instead of forcing a throw under pressure is not a bad thing.

Replacing Leon Washington

John B — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:23 -0000

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Leon Washington's clearly going to be missed. He does so much for the Jets, there's no way to simply replace him. It's a job for many.

Change of Pace Back: Shonn Greene

Some people questioned the Jets moving up in the third round and selling almost the entire second day of their Draft to get Greene. They viewed it as a luxury pick. It sure looks like a good move now. Greene will take over Leon's road as the second back on the roster. He'll provide a different kind of change of pace from Thomas Jones. Washington's burst was dangerous for defenses. Greene is going to get on defenses quickly and pound on them. He'll help wear down fronts for Jones later in the game.

Kick Returner: Justin Miller

Part of the reason the Jets cut Miller last year was the job Washington did on kickoff returns leaving him without a role. Justin's a very dangerous return man, though, with 5 touchdowns in his 5 year career. He made the Pro Bowl for the Jets in 2006. The only reason Leon became the full time return man was Miller's 2007 injury.

Decoy: Braylon Edwards

Part of what Leon brought was simply the threat to score on every play. He forced defenses to account for him, which opened things up for other players. The trade for Edwards is fortunate now. Braylon can draw consistent doubles and will be the focal point of defenses from this point on. The double teams he will draw will benefit everybody else.

Homerun Hitter: David Clowney

Edwards will definitely have to take some of the big play load, but defenses are going to key on stopping him. It's easier to take a receiver out of a game than a running back. You have to double him. Washington was both a focal point and a guy who made big plays. Clowney's speed on vertical routes makes him the best bet to register huge gains.

Backfield Receiving Threat: Danny Woodhead

Woodhead is going to play sparingly behind Jones and Greene, but he might see some work on third down. Perhaps he won't block well enough to be the exclusive third down back, but Woodhead is a better receiver out of the backfield than the top two and elusive with the ball in his hands. The team thought enough of his receiving skills to convert him to the position.

Is there anybody else you see pitching in to replace Leon?

Dolphins vs Jets: Three Key Matchups

Matty I — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:33:56 -0000

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Time for Miami's rookie corners to step up and show what they got.

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Sure it's still hard to swallow what we all witnessed on Sunday. But like Jason Taylor said, "It's Jets week!" Nothing would cure all of us Dolphin fans more than a win over the Jets on Sunday in the Meadowlands. It's likely, barring some kind of playoff rematch, that this will be the final time the Dolphins play at the current Giants Stadium - with the new Meadowlands Stadium expected to open in 2010. We all have some good memories and some bad memories from games played in that building. Let's just hope we close it up with a positive one.

To do that, these three matchups will be critical.

Braylon Edwards/Jerricho Cotchery vs Sean Smith/Vontae Davis
Only two other NFL teams have even started one rookie cornerback this season. On Sunday, the Dolphins will start two rookie corners following Will Allen's season-ending ACL tear. And they will be asked to defend two veteran receivers who possess a lot of talent.

In their first meeting, Braylon Edwards - despite being a Jet for less than a week - had 5 catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. He also drew a huge pass interference call on Will Allen that gave the Jets a 1st & goal from the 1 yard line. But since then, Edwards only has 4 receptions for 54 yards. However, he's been targeted 11 times over the past two weeks - which results in 25% of Mark Sanchez's total pass attempts. Braylon is big and strong and is a matchup nightmare for many teams.

Of course, for the Dolphins, he's not exactly a matchup nightmare thanks to the size of rookie corner Sean Smith - who has been very good as a starter since day one. If I'm the Dolphins this week, I'm preparing Smith to shadow Braylon everywhere he goes. I know the coaches liked to stick with keeping Allen on one side and Smith on the other. But the Dolphins don't have that luxury anymore. Besides, Smith is athletic enough to handle both the left and right boundaries. It's time to throw the rookie into the fire and see how he responds.

Meanwhile, Vontae Davis will replace Allen in the starting lineup and make his first career start on Sunday. He's been up and down, but has progressed well. He'll be asked to cover either Jerricho Cotchery (if he plays) or David Clowney - who did post a 4-72 receiving line against the Dolphins in their first meeting. Davis is an aggressive corner and I hope to see him up on the line of scrimmage bumping whoever he is asked to cover.

Call me crazy, but in the long run, it might the best thing for the Dolphins to have to start both rookies from here on out. They're going to have their ups and downs for sure. But they're also going to learn a lot about the game and about themselves. This matchup should be a lot off fun to watch on Sunday.

Dolphins offensive line vs Jets front seven
Different week, same critical matchup. We know that the Dolphins can run the football. But last week against the Saints, it seemed like the Dolphins weren't exactly as committed as usual to running the football. On Sunday, it's time once again to ride those two horses and put the onus on those big guys up front to once again dominate the Jets defensive front.

In their first meeting, the Dolphins dominated the line of scrimmage all game long. They did an excellent job protecting Chad Henne and an even better job getting a push to help Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams find running lanes. The Dolphins ran for 151 yards in that game a few weeks ago. And now, the Jets are without nose tackle Kris Jenkins who was lost for the season. Taking his spot has been Sione Pouha, who is smaller and and weaker than Jenkins. Jake Grove did a very good job limiting the impact Jenkins had last time. He should be able to do even better against Pouha.

While I expect the Dolphins be get re-committed to the run on Sunday, Chad Henne will again be asked to make some plays and it'll be up to the big guys up front to give Henne time like they did in their last meeting. There's no doubt in my mind that Rex Ryan and NY's front seven were embarrassed by how they played last time - allowing Henne to feel little pressure for most of the game. So I have no doubt that Ryan will throw new pass-rushing wrinkles at Miami's offensive line. The Dolphins didn't do a great job of protecting Henne last week against the Saints, either. So this unit has got to step up and play like we all know they are capable of playing.

Dolphins defensive line vs Jets offensive line
Don't look now but the Dolphins are no longer have the number one rushing offense in the NFL. No - they are now number two, trailing (of all teams) the Jets. Back in week five, the Jets were able to find some running room on the ground - which most teams hadn't been able to do against Miami until that point. They ran for 138 yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry.

Since then, the Jets have just gone crazy on the ground. Yes, it was against the Bills and Raiders. But still, back-to-back 300 yard rushing games is impressive. And despite Leon Washington's season-ending injury, the Jets still possess a formidable one-two punch of Thomas Jones and rookie Shonn Greene. Greene ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns last week against Oakland.

But the reason the Jets have been effective on the ground is their offensive line. It's very talented and has really started gelling well recently. There's something to say about a unit that has played together week after week. And did you know that the Jets offensive line currently holds the longest streak in the NFL of consecutive starts made by the same five offensive linemen?

To me, this means two things. One - Dolphin fans have a lot to be excited about because our own offensive line will only continue to get better as they get more comfortable with each other. And two - the Dolphins have got to play stout against the run and force Mark Sanchez to put the ball in the air.

Leon Washington Out for the Season With a Broken Leg

John B — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:50:59 -0000

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Leon Washington's season is over after breaking his right leg today in Oakland.

Jets RB Leon washington is out for the season after breaking his right leg today against the Raiders. He was taken to a local hospital, where it's believed surgery will be performed. This is believed to be a serious fracture.

An unidentified player landed on Washington's leg as he went down awkwardly, one of those cover-your-eyes plays. Teammates immediately motioned to the sideline for medical help.

This one hurts badly. I don't doubt the Jets will continue to have an excellent running game considering their offensive line and duo of Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene. Neither is a game changer like Washington, though. He's the kind of guy defenses have to game plan around. He's a great decoy who always draws attention even when he's not getting the ball, which opens things up for others. You can split him out to receiver if you want. Neither Greene nor Jones is as dynamic of a threat.

Where do the Jets go from here? Greene will replace him as the second back. He's obviously a different player, but Sunday showed a glimpse of what he will become. I'm also guessing Danny Woodhead shifts back to running back. He's not going to be needed much at receiver anymore with Jerricho Cotchery and Brad Smith coming back and David Clowney playing well. Perhaps the Jets try and turn him into a similarly versatile, speedy weapon. He has a lot of athletic ability.

In what ways do you see this horrible news affecting the Jets?

Jets 38 Raiders 0: Back on Track

John B — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:36:11 -0000

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All is well again. The Jets are back over .500. They finally got a win on the West Coast and totally dominated their opponent. Sure, it was an opponent that couldn't have looked less dangerous, but a win is a win in the National Football League. It sure beats losing to the Bills (or the Raiders a year ago). The Jets can go into next week's showdown with the Dolphins feeling good about themselves.

More after the jump.

The Good:

Commitment to the Run: Some of us have been begging Brian Schottenheimer for over a year to just use his terrific stable of backs and his big offensive line and just pound opponents with the ground game. All it took was a rookie quarterback meltdown to finally deliver it. I love the 55-15 run to pass ratio. In future weeks, not every team will be as outclassed up front as the Raiders. That disparity will have to go down. It's just nice to see the Jets finally focus on the ground game. The tendency in the past has been to start putting it up when things don't click early. Today it was a bit of a struggle early, but the Jets kept with their gameplan of pounding it and eventually worked into a groove and wore Oakland out up front. The end result is a second consecutive game with over 300 yards on the ground.

The Offensive Line: Just a dominant performance up front one through five. The guys had holes to hit all day long. Things are finally clicking for this unit with a physical opponent coming up.

Shonn Greene: For whatever reason, some talented rookies don't get a chance to shine until the team has no choice. I think back to a pair of promising inside linebackers the Jets had earlier in the decade. Jonathan Vilma couldn't sniff the field until Sam Cowart got hurt. Ditto David Harris three years later until Vilma went down. Enter Greene. Shonn looked really good in limited action prior to today. The coaches still wouldn't give him much playing time. Today Leon Washington's injury forced the Jets to play Greene. The result? 19 carries, 144 yards, and 2 touchdowns. He looked like a complete runner. He showed he had the vision and burst to hit the holes, the power to break tackles, and a second burst running away from defenders that frankly took me aback. The book on Greene is that he's a power runner. I know the opponent stunk, but we have something special on our hands.

Thomas Jones: Struggled early but got stronger as the game went on and wore the Raiders out. A second straight big outing, 121 yards on 26 carries.

David Clowney: We're seeing this guy mature as a receiver. The knock on him has always been he's a one trick pony, a guy who can run the vertical route. What I saw today really impressed me. He showed a lot of intelligence breaking off his route on a third down when the Raiders brought heat on Mark Sanchez. He run a good comeback route on one of his receptions. He made a great adjustment on the football on his long touchdown reception. This is a guy who is improving in front of our eyes. With Leon Washington out, the Jets need to find a new homerun threat. This could be an answer.

Wallace Wright: For the first time, this is not for his special teams play. He had a pair of catches and looked pretty quick in short space out of the slot. A possible replacement for Chansi Stuckey?

The Fake Punt: Three for three this year. This was clearly the Jets scouting out the Raiders and Oakland not correcting what it's been doing wrong. There was no way that was ever going to fail the way the Raiders just immediately released down the field, not even looking at the punter. Give the quality control coaches a game ball.

Calvin Pace: Nice to see Pace being the difference maker this defense needs him to be. 7 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. As teams use more maximum protection schemes against their blitzes, the Jets are going to need guys to win one on one matchups. Pace is going to play a big role. It's great to see him swatting when the quarterback leaves the ball exposed. His strip sack on the first play was huge. It seems like the Raiders just resigned themselves to a long day after that.

Darrelle Revis: He's in here every week. He dominated his assignments and had a great interception.

Dwight Lowery: It looks like he's passed Donald Strickland on the depth chart, and it's easy to see why considering all the plays he made when the ball came in his direction. The Jets have to be thinking twice about the Lito Sheppard trade given Sheppard's inability to stay on the field and Lowery's return to his early 2008 playmaking form.

Total Defense: There were some outstanding individual performances, but the defense pitched a shutout. Three of the four turnovers were forced by intense pressure. Always great to get the other quarterback benched.

The Bad:

Leon Washington's Injury: As great as it was to find out about Shonn Greene, there had to be a better way than losing Leon. He's going to be missed big time, especially next week. He always gives the Dolphins fits.

Howard Green and Sione Pouha: And I could put the other defensive linemen there. They weren't getting off thier blocks well enough and allowed too many big runs. That's scary with a physical offensive line and the Dolphins up next week.

Bart Scott's Injury: What's a guy that valuable doing on the field with 3:00 left in a 38 point game?

Mark Sanchez's Antics: I know a lot of you will disagree with me, but I really was upset with what I saw out of Mark Sanchez today. You stunk last week. The team took the keys from you. Stop showing up your opponent by throwing the ball through the goal post after a 3 yard run in open field or eating a hot dog on the sidelines. Show some respect for the other team. Act like you're totally focused. You still have a lot to learn. You're not good enough yet to be doing that stuff.

Other Thoughts:

The next time you call an NFL player greedy for complaining about his contract, think of Leon Washington. Leon did everything right. He didn't hold out. Now because of his serious injury, he may very well lose out. I know. He's making way more than you are or I am. We're not also playing a violent game for a living that will affect us for the rest of our lives at a position when a career span is under 10 years.
Nice touch pouring the Gatorade on Bill Callahan. Great to see Rex leading it. It's stuff like this that makes the team love its coach, and it's why I believe these guys are going to keep battling for him. Keep the faith with our coach.
Braylon Edwards' hidden effect was shown today. He was constantly drawing double teams, opening things up for David Clowney. Look out for Jerricho Cotchery once he gets better.
This was the original formula, pound the ball, let the defense dominate, and don't ask too much of the quarterback. It's kind of a credit to Sanchez it took the Jets this long to get to it. He showed he was capable of handling more up to last week.

Great way to bounce back. The Raiders weren't much of a test. In fact, they seemed content handing the Jets the game. Still, a nice confidence builder heading into the Miami game.

Rex Discusses Suspensions

John B — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:04:39 -0000

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Rex Ryan explained his decision to bench Marques Murrell and James Ihedigbo this week because of the punches they threw in overtime against the Bills that resulted in a critical personal foul.

"What they did was selfish," Ryan said. "We want to be the most physical team in the NFL, but within the confines of the rules."

Ryan said he "did think about" cutting both players he was so angry, but opted to bench them for the game instead.

"It's a punishment not going to the game, but it also hurts the team," Ryan said. "Sometimes you have to weight what's best for the team. That's not being tough and physical. There's no excuse for it."

I really like the message the head coach is sending to the team in a circumstance like this. It's similar to David Clowney's suspension for tweeting about his lack of playing time. It's team first. Obviously this season has taken a turn that none of us like, but it's encouraging to see Rex show his control over the locker room and make it clear this is a culture that puts team first. It will make the Jets better in the long haul.