SB Nation - Mark Sanchez

The Jets fell back to .500 after suffering a crushing 10-7 loss to the Falcons today at the Meadowlands. Once again this team loses in the final minute. Once again this team wastes a great defensive effort. Once again we have to ask how the heck the Jets lost a game they seemed to control. It's the story of the season.

More after the jump.

The Bad:

Jay Feely: Jay, I'd like to introduce you to Doug Brien, John Hall, and Cary Blanchard. Feely helped kick the Jets out of the Playoffs by not connection on a pair of makable field goal tries. If he does his job, the Jets are comfortably ahead in the fourth quarter. No, he doesn't get a pass because the wind was bad. This is Feely's second season in the Meadowlands, and he spent time with the Giants before. He has plenty of experience in the Meadowlands. Does he get blame for kicking it too low on the blocked try? You bet. Last week's hero is this week's goat.

Kellen Clemens: Fine, we've established you can't play quarterback. Now you can't even get a hold down? The whole reason the Jets made him the holder was because of the botched field goal try in overtime against the Bills. The Jets wanted a guy capable of throwing it on a broken play. Using the backup quarterback presents a different problem. He's not on the field and doesn't handle the ball. Maybe Brad Smith would be a better choice. He sees action and can make something happen with his legs and arm if things break down.

James Dearth: His long snaps were terrible. They didn't help matters.

Sending Three on Fourth Down: The Jets are an aggressive team. That's how they became the top statistical defense in the league. It's how they shut the Falcons down all game. Why go away from what works and only rush three on the play that decided the game?

Offensive Line: The rare performance where the other team was successful loading up the box because the offensive line wasn't getting enough of a push. I'm not going to get on Thomas Jones (19 carries, 52 yards) because I didn't really see anywhere for him to run most of the time.

Missed Opportunities: Five trips in Falcons territory ended in no points. That's a recipe for heartbreak.

Danny Woodhead: Very unimpressive game. Didn't come up with a pair of catches he should have had early. Later he showed no ability to break tackles. He was slow to break after the catch on a third down, and his run back on the kickoff following the winning touchdown put the Jets' back to the wall.

Alan Faneca: Idiotic personal foul killed the last drive before it really started.

Donald Stickland: Terrible penalty on the last drive. Even worse coverage.

The Good:

Darrelle Revis: Roddy White had 4 catches for 33 yards. He almost had as many times begging the officials for a flag as he had receptions. Revis shut him down.

David Harris: 10 tackles and was effective as a blitzer. The Jets surely won't be going to Miami for the Super Bowl, but Harris should go there for the Pro Bowl.

Kerry Rhodes: The missed tackle was bad, but Kerry played a great game aside from that. He registered 6 tackles and was excellent in coverage. This was the player we were expecting at the start of the year.

Brad Smith: A great kickoff return to start the second half and made good reads out of the Tiger formation.

Mark Sanchez: Yes, Sanchez goes here. He did some bad things, namely holding it too long, not throwing it away in some spots, and once again not sliding. I think you need to find a new scapegoat for the last drive. Can you blame him for the last interception? The Jets needed to get it downfield. He had to try and force something. The first pick was bad, but I was impressed with the way he responded. The rest of the game, he was making good throws and making good decisions with the ball. Even on the second pick, there was a window open. We were worried whether the cold was in his head. The throw seemed to give him confidence he can play in the cold. That's huge for the future. When you look at the numbers, it won't look great. In the grand scheme of things, I view today as a net positive. He proved he can make plays in the element. Mark will have to play better next week to get a win, though.

Braylon Edwards: 5 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. He also drew doubles which in theory should have opened thing up for others and did good work as a blocker. Admit it. You were nervous he'd drop the touchdown pass.

I hate to let the defense off the hook. I mean another game winning drive late is upsetting, but the fact of the matter is the game should never come down to the last drive when you only give up 10 points. This game was lost by the field goal unit and the offense not finishing drives. I have nothing left to say. You'd think I'd be used to it by now. Just like last year, we see a season essentially die in a snowstorm the Sunday before Christmas.

Post-Game Thread: Defense Holds, Falcons Edge Jets 10-7

Dave the Falconer — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:04:43 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

YOU CALL THIS OFFENSE?! (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Browse more photos »

The Falcons have elevated winning ugly to an art form.

It doesn't get much uglier than a game where your highly touted offense is outdone throughout by your supposedly lackluster defense, who deserve better than 75% of the credit for this game. Holding the Jets to 7 points is an impressive accomplishment, and pulling out the win despite their excellent defense is nothing to sneeze at. Now the Falcons are at 7-7 and have only the lowly Bucs and Bills left on their schedule, so that winning season is still a very tantalizing possibility.

Please consider this your open thread to talk about the game and anything else you'd like to as the holidays approach. A few notes from my end:

Brent Grimes gets a lot of up-and-down reviews, but that man knows how to pick a pass. Two today against Mark Sanchez. With Josh Freeman and Ryan Fitzpatrick up next, he could add to his season total of four pretty easily.
John Abraham returned to the magical land of sacking the quarterback. What a delight.
The team made a big show of Michael Turner being active, and then he only got one carry. Matt Ryan at least played the entire game, even if it wasn't his finest hour.That strike to Gonzo saved our butts, though.

Jets Flight Connections 121909

dvdvil — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:13:52 -0000

No surprise, Mark Sanchez will start at QB for the Jets tomorrow.

RB Thomas Jones says the whole Jets offensive line should go to the Pro Bowl.

TJ wants to stay a Jet.

Pro Football Weekly says he will.

New York Magazine has good things to say about the RB.

The Jets didn't fine LB Bart Scott, but the league did.

Marques Douglas and others gave away toys for kids in Brooklyn.

The Jets have been trying to get WR Danny Woodhead more involved in the offense.

Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com says that K Jay Feely is a good guy and may have had a point.

More connections after the jump.

The Jets want to keep The Sanchize warm on Sunday.

Aliquippa native Darrelle Revis is good friends with Seton Hall basketball's Herb Pope.

Champ Bailey's take on the best CB in football.

Adam Schein tells us his choice for Defensive Player of the Year.

If the Jets had a better record, Revis would have a better case for DPOY.

This writer from Wisconsin weighs the case for Revis and Charles Woodson.

If you had a subscription to Newsday, you would know Bob Glauber's take on it.

If you had a subscription to ESPN Insider, you would be able to read their article on AFC RBs.

The Jets know what needs to happen for them to make the playoffs, and HC Rex Ryan was rooting for the Colts on Thursday.

The Colts won't decide about resting their starters until after the weekend.

Apparently, Atlanta has never had back-to-back winning seasons.

Your daily Pro Bowl reminder: you have until Monday Dec. 21 to vote for the Jets.

Lastly, here is Jets great Earl Christy before Sunday's game at Tampa Bay:

New York Jets Pass Offense vs. Atlanta Falcons Pass Defense

John B — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:54:27 -0000

More photos » by Peter Morgan - AP

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Can Mark Sanchez play in bad weather? The rookie had some struggles earlier in the year in less than optimal conditions against the Titans and Bills. It's going to be a cold day at the Meadowlands, and Sanchez will be nursing a bad knee. New York's Playoff hopes depend on his ability to block out the adversity.

He should have some help. Atlanta does not have a great secondary. They give up 257.8 per contest through the air. Their starting secondary of Chris Houston, Chris Owens, Erik Coleman, and Thomas DeCoud is no better than average. Houston sat out last week and is doubtful this week. Brent Grimes will start in his place. This is a week where both Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery should have advantages in their matchups.

None of the linebackers are great in pass coverage either. Curtis Lofton, Stephen Nicholas, and Mike Peterson are all middle of the pack in pass coverage. Dustin Keller's athelticism should give him an edge here.

Up front, the Falcons are a little banged up. Old friend John Abraham, Jonathan Babineaux, and Jamaal Anderson all battled injuries in practice this week, but there isn't any indication they will sit. Abraham is the most explosive pass rusher the Falcons have. His 3.5 sacks belie his ability to win matchups. Still, you have to feel confident about D'Brickashaw Ferguson's ability to contain him the way Brick is playing. Babineaux has 5 sacks. So does Kroy Biermann, who should replace Anderson on obvious pass downs. Anderson is better against the run than getting to the quarterback. Thomas Johnson, Atlanta's other tackle, isn't much of a pass rusher.

Watch out of Nicholas on blitzes from outside linebacker. He has 3 sacks and has done a good job winning his matchups.

Overall, though, this has the makings of a nice day for Sanchez if he can handle the elements.

Saturday News And Notes: Tackling The New York Jets

Dave the Falconer — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:00:19 -0000

If you're one of those people who believe we still have a shot at the playoffs—somewhere between 0.5 and 3.5% chance, last I checked—then this is it. Any losses for the rest of the season effectively doom the Falcons. All of us, I hope, can cheer a little louder this weekend knowing that our hopes hang in the balance. Plus there's that winning season business....

The Jets aren't going to be easy, though. They have perhaps the league's best defense and an offense that can be best described as not totally inept. With that in mind, the Falcons are going to have their work cut out for them, particularly if Matt Ryan and Michael Turner can't return. They're still very....well, I'll get to that in the links.

Speaking of links, care to join me for a few?

Mark Sanchez—aka "Sanchize"—will be starting for the Jets this weekend. He's not exactly a top-flight quarterback at this point in his career, so let's hope Brent Grimes and Thomas DeCoud can take advantage of a couple of his wobblier passes.
The reason I don't mention Chris Houston is because he's once again doubtful. Both Ryan and Turner are questionable, which under the Mike Smith injury classification system either means they're both totally recovered or lying face-down in a pool of Gatorade being attacked by piranhas. Your guess is as good as mine, but I'm inclined to believe neither will play Sunday.
O ne interesting point here is that this is almost guaranteed to be a cold-weather game, and it could be snowing like crazy in New York Sunday, too. We'll see how the typically dome-bound Falcons do against a team that's pretty comfortable with frigid temps.
I was really hoping to find that the Jets had a crappy offensive line, but alas. Disappointed again.

Believe this article and you'll find the Jets have one of the best rushing offenses in the league. Good thing our front seven is exponentially more healthy than the rest of our defense, or I'd really be worried. Never mind. I am anyways.
Geez, we get it!

NFL Picks & Pans: Week 15

Bruce Raffel — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:00:16 -0000

While I was pretty happy to see my pick of the Jaguars over the Colts end up being wrong for the Ravens' benefit, I expect to continue my solid pace this season with 20 correct picks the past two weeks. With the playoff race in full swing with so many teams still in the hunt, this weekend's game will sort out the picture a lot better. So let's get right to it with the Saturday night game and the AFC contenders' games, and the rest of the weekend's schedule after the 'Jump,' although I'll pick & pan the Ravens-Bears game on Sunday morning.

Saints over Cowboys: Hasn't Dallas learned that they can't win on Saturday night prime time games after what our Ravens did to them last year around this time? The Saints will not let the Cowboys stop their quest to finish undefeated, which I see them doing.

Titans over Dolphins: A Tennessee win still gives them a chance at the post season, but so slim that we need to root for them to knock Miami out of the hunt.

Jets over Falcons: I thought of making this my "Upset Special" based on the fact that New York should have Mark Sanchez back but their defense has looked solid enough to beat an Atlanta team that has not been good on the road.

Broncos over Raiders: Love to see the upset, but Denver is looking tough and should be a confused Oakland team.

Packers over Steelers: Green Bay's balanced offense should tame the toughness of playing at Heinz Field, as the Steelers will be on their sofas watching the playoffs after winning it all last year.

Patriots over Bills: This was also my thought to be the "Upset Special" as New England has only won in London on the road this year, but Buffalo is such a weak team that I just don't see it.

Cardinals over Lions: As bad as Arizona played last week in losing to the 49ers, they should be able to win one in Detroit against a team that has bottomed out once again.

Browns over Chiefs: Is this considered an "Upset Special?" If it is, then I can see an improved Cleveland defense beating a Kansas City team that couldn't even beat the Bills at home last week.

Texans over Rams: Houston retains its slim chance at the post season by beating perhaps one of the two worst teams in the league in St. Louis (along w/ Detroit).

Eagles over 49ers: Philadelphia is on a roll and while San Francisco looked solid in winning at home, this is the east coast and a lot colder than the west.

Chargers over Bengals: Cincinnati will play with heavy hearts but they will not be able to overcomve the hottest team in the league in San Diego, much less their grief.

Seahawks over Buccaneers: Sort of a boring one this weekend but guys are playing for jobs which should have Seattle defending their home turf over Tampa Bay.

Vikings over Panthers (Sunday night): Minnesota needs to prove it can win on the road at the end of the season if they want to show the league that they have a chance to reach the Super Bowl and doing so in Carolina will help.

Redskins over Giants (Monday night): I think Washington will upset New York at home on prime time, as it seems the Giants always find a way to disappoint their fans in the tougher games.

Last week: 10-6

Season record: 139-67

It's Official --- Sanchez to Start on Sunday

Matt Birch — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:08:08 -0000

image via www.nfltouchdown.com

Mark Sanchez has been named the official starter for Sunday's game against the Falcons. Not a big surprise by any means, but Rex has removed all doubt as to who would be behind center.

He will, however, be wearing two knee braces which could present some mobility concerns. That being said, with the Jets facing another weak run defense, and 20 MPH winds and snow in the forecast, it's likely that he will be handing the ball off 40-50 times and Schotty's gameplan will be conservative as it was for Clemens.

"Mark will start," Ryan said Friday. "No great surprise to anybody."

"It’s going to be a Joe Namath throwback game for Mark," Ryan said. "He slid right in front of me during practice to make sure that I knew that he was ready to go. He feels confident. He threw the ball really well today."

Good to hear.

Jets Flight Connections 121809

dvdvil — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:09:46 -0000

Many thanks to the Indianapolis Colts. You guys deserve to rest.

HC Rex Ryan won't say who will start at QB on Sunday, even though we all know it will be Mark Sanchez.

WR Braylon Edwards talks about former division rival Chris Henry's death.

So does outspoken K Jay Feely.

The New York Post writes about what should be Braylon's private business.

Rex talks about CB Darrelle Revis deserving to be Defensive Player of the Year.

Read the comments on this article: some people actually think Revis gets help from the blitzes, and not the other way around.

DC Mike Pettine shares his thoughts on how the defense lures QBs towards Revis Island.

Don't forget that Lito Sheppard is a good corner, too.

And LB David "Hitman" Harris deserves to go to the Pro Bowl.

Jets Owner Woody Johnson is asking for a one-time event in 2014, a Super Bowl in the cold.

Rex and Falcons HC Mike Smith usually give each other tips on opposing teams (but probably not this week).

More connections after the jump.

The Jets defense won't be complaining if Falcons QB Matt Ryan doesn't play.

The Jets haven't done much talking lately, but letting their play speak for itself.

JetNation.com previews the game against the Falcons.

ESPN.com has AccuScore's take on the Jets' chances of winning.

Kevin Kernan compares and contrasts the two New York football head coaches.

Sanchez talks about USC teammate RB Chauncey Washington.

Former Atlanta RB Warrick Dunn will own part of the Falcons.

LB Larry to the Izzo may still play football in the future.

Don't forget to donate your old coats if you're going to the game on Sunday.

And don't forget to vote for Revis (up to #3 last time I checked), RB Thomas Jones, Hitman Harris and other deserving Jets for Pro Bowl recognition. Vote as many times as you want here until Dec. 21.

Lastly, here is video of The Sanchize practicing with the team earlier this week:

Signs Point to Sanchez; Nothing Official

John B — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:00:21 -0000

by Dean Duprey - AP

View full size photo »

Mark Sanchez appears to be on track to start Sunday, but Rex Ryan is stopping short of naming a starter.

Sanchez, who missed last week’s game with a sprained right knee, practiced again today and took 75-percent of the snaps.

Ryan said Sanchez looked "much better’’ than he did in Wednesday’s practice, but he still wouldn’t name him the starter yet despite the fact that everyone in the locker room knows Sanchez is going to start.

Ryan remained reticent about naming Sanchez until he has full clearance from the doctors Friday.

That would be an increase in his workload. He took 50% of the snaps on Wednesday. That indicates he's on track to starting.