Todd Bowles & Ryan Fitzpatrick : Cool, calm and connected ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

-- They were introduced by a third party and wedded in shotgun style, hardly the ideal foundation for a long-lasting relationship, but Todd Bowles and Ryan Fitzpatrick have developed a good thing in a short time. Their thing isn't your typical coach-quarterback bond, but it works for the New York Jets.

They don't have brainstorming sessions during the week, a la Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Truth be told, Bowles and Fitzpatrick don't share much one-on-one time, except for an occasional conversation in the hallway. Bowles is busy with the defense and Fitzpatrick is immersed in the offense -- separate universes in an NFL facility -- but the new coach and the well-traveled quarterback have found a connection.

Maybe it's because their personalities are so much alike. They're even-tempered and unflappable. With apologies to Kenny Chesney, just call them the Poise of Fall.

"It's important for the team," Bowles said of the coach-quarterback dynamic. "You have to have the same chemistry because it steers where you want the team to go. (Quarterbacks) get the command post while you sit back and make sure your attitude is getting expressed through certain guys, the quarterback being one of the main guys."The relationship is vital to the success of the franchise. If there's tension, it can impact the entire organization. Just look at the Jets' upcoming opponent, the Washington Redskins, who were torn apart by the Mike Shanahan-Robert Griffin III strife in 2013. In Fitzpatrick, Bowles has an extension of himself, which is how it should be.Bowles and Fitzpatrick are at different places in their careers, yet they found each other at the right time.Fitzpatrick, starting for his sixth team and playing for his fourth team in four years, is looking for stability, a place to call home. Bowles, in his first head-coaching gig, was seeking to stabilize the quarterback position when he traded for Fitzpatrick last March. Bowles always admired him from afar and got a strong recommendation on Fitzpatrick from one of the quarterback's former coaches, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey -- a.k.a. the matchmaker.

The Bowles-Fitzpatrick relationship turned serious faster than anybody could've imagined because of the events of Aug. 11, when Geno Smith was punched out by IK Enemkpali. Suddenly, Fitzpatrick was the starter.Todd Bowles is usually the picture of calm, but the first-year coach can get animated from time to time."When I was in Miami (as an assistant), I knew this guy could play quarterback and if something ever happened to Geno -- unfortunately, it did -- I knew this guy could play and we wouldn't fall off very much," Bowles said.Fitzpatrick, 32, has been a calming influence for the offense, making good decisions and behaving like a leader during the Jets' 3-1 start. This has been an adjustment because he's not accustomed to playing for a defensive-minded head coach. In fact, five of his seven head coaches were offensive specialists, which "means they're in the room with you all day," he said. "With Todd, there isn't a ton of interaction like there would be with an offensive head coach."

The conduit is Gailey. He and Bowles meet every week to discuss the game plan, with Bowles sharing his thoughts.

"They get relayed to Ryan," Bowles said.

It may seem like an odd arrangement, but it happens more than you think in the NFL. Bowles said Fitzpatrick knows what he wants at the quarterback position. The coach wants a game manager, not a celebrity fixated on passing stats. Fitzpatrick is cool with that. After years of being tossed around the league like a sock in a dryer, he understands what it takes to win: Don't panic and lead the offense."That probably comes with experience, being around and seeing a lot of different things," he said. "As a football team, you do tend to take on the persona of your head coach and his personality. His personality is (low-key), but he's also ultra-aggressive and supremely confident. Those are traits he's trying to instill, not just in me, but the entire team."

Fitzpatrick said the most animated he has seen Bowles was last month, when Temple -- the coach's alma mater -- upset Penn State. Bowles, who did some woofing behind the scenes, acknowledged it was his most impassioned moment ... as the Jets' coach."Talk to the guys in Arizona," said Bowles, the Cardinals' defensive coordinator in 2013 and '14, "and they will tell you a whole different story."Bowles was so angry with his players during halftime of a Cardinals-Redskins game last season that he punched a movie screen and projector in a meeting room, stunning those in attendance. That, he said, was an all-timer. He doesn't do angry, and there's a method to his ... uh, lack of madness."For me to be animated, it means I lose some of my edge, coaching-wise, on the field," he said. "I can't do that bluster, yelling and screaming. You can say one or two things, but you have to get back to the game. You correct it and move on. That helps keep me calm. I try to stay two or three plays ahead in every situation, so that's the reason I have to keep myself calm."

Bowles said he most fired up he has seen Fitzpatrick was in the last game on a long scrambles outside the pocket."When he was running for his life in London and he turned the corner and I didn't see him slide, I thought, 'Oh, God, he's going to get killed,'" Bowles said, laughing. "But he made a heck of a play. That's the most animated I've seen him. He was fired up when he got to the sideline."Fitz is a dog now, he goes for the throat. He doesn't look like it, structurally, but he sees everything and he'll try to take advantage of every situation possible. I guess I'm a lot like that."

Both men have their moments, but they're not the excitable types. Bowles is the calmest guy in the room, and Fitzpatrick is his alter ego. Maybe, just maybe, they can curb their enthusiasm all the way to a special season.

>   http://espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/54948/todd-bowles-and-ryan-fitzpatrick-cool-calm-and-connected

[Integrity28]

Sold.

 

[Jetster]

"I can't do that bluster, yelling and screaming. You can say one or two things, but you have to get back to the game. You correct it and move on. That helps keep me calm. I try to stay two or three plays ahead in every situation, so that's the reason I have to keep myself calm."

LOVE THIS!!!!!! A coach that's always thinking ahead! Football is like chess, that's why BB is so successful. He's not making those little notes he writes down for nothing. Bowles is THE MAN! 

[kelly]

Pennington: Gailey Playing to His Strengths

Former QB Says Jets Capable of Playing Playoff Football

 

>    http://www.newyorkjets.com/videos/audio/Pennington-Gailey-Playing-to-His-Strengths/750ff0d8-1195-4313-8e39-76a9ff85399c

[Charlie Brown]

"I can't do that bluster, yelling and screaming. You can say one or two things, but you have to get back to the game. You correct it and move on. That helps keep me calm. I try to stay two or three plays ahead in every situation, so that's the reason I have to keep myself calm."

LOVE THIS!!!!!! A coach that's always thinking ahead! Football is like chess, that's why BB is so successful. He's not making those little notes he writes down for nothing. Bowles is THE MAN! 

You caught that as well!!!!

Unfreakinbelievable!!   When a HC has the presence of mind to say they are concentrating on three plays ahead you have a least the foundation for a special HC....

[Savage69]

You caught that as well!!!!

Unfreakinbelievable!!   When a HC has the presence of mind to say they are concentrating on three plays ahead you have a least the foundation for a special HC....

Hermie could BBQ burgers,wings and ribs at the same time no wonder you loved him..

[Charlie Brown]

Hermie could BBQ burgers,wings and ribs at the same time no wonder you loved him..

Herm was better than you think but I do not believe that he was as balanced a HC as Bowles at all, at all. 

Bowles like Herm played an NFL position, but unlike Herm Bowles has run a top flight NFL defense and that difference definitely shows.  Herm had holes in his HC ability and over time they were destined to show up, clock management, feel of the game etc., no such worry with Bowles so far. 

Also Bowles is not doing things by accident or simply as the result of a reaction to circumstances but rather as the result of a well coordinated plan. In truth I don't think that we have had this level of coaching potential since the Tuna roamed the sidelines.

IMO it is just so refreshing to see competent coaching, I really don't care how Bowles prepares barbeque wings or ribs.... hmmmmm but come to think of it, it would be nice.. 

[EM31]

So is the Geno Smith and Todd Bowles relationship on hold?

[Kleckineau]

Wow.........who have they beaten? What have they won?

Early returns look promising but lets reign it in a little no?

[jetsons]

So is the Geno Smith and Todd Bowles relationship on hold?

What Bowles & geno relationship???

 

[Jetsfan80]

Wow.........who have they beaten? What have they won?

Early returns look promising but lets reign it in a little no?

lol.  Always somebody who has to make this post and remind everyone we're 4 games in to the Bowles era.  Does this mean we're not allowed to be excited?  Will our excitement cause him to be a bad coach?  

[Jetster]

You caught that as well!!!!

Unfreakinbelievable!!   When a HC has the presence of mind to say they are concentrating on three plays ahead you have a least the foundation for a special HC....

Unlike Rex who ran around after every great play pumping his fist while the clock was running down & should be thinking ahead.

Time out! Wait wut?

[Jetster]

Wow.........who have they beaten? What have they won?

Early returns look promising but lets reign it in a little no?

We right now are sitting at stopping 18 3rd downs in a row & 4, 4th downs since the 2nd half of the Eagles game! We're still playing professional football teams. F*ck, I don't care if that doesn't excite you but after 4 horrible seasons it excites the f*ck out of me & I'm going to enjoy every Sunday coming up.

[kelly]

Rich Cimini ESPN Staff Writer 

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has helped the Jets to a 3-1 start, but he's not satisfied. "The turnovers, especially on my end, have to come down a little bit," he told reporters. He has six interceptions. Asked what he'd like to see from Fitzpatrick, Todd Bowles said, "Not throw interceptions."

>     http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/newyork-jets

[kelly]

-- One of the positive takeaways from the New York Jets' locker room is the attitude on offense. No one on that side of the ball is overplaying the role of the offense in the team's 3-1 start. They know the story.And the story is this: While there have been many positive developments -- Chris Ivory, Brandon Marshall and near-flawless pass protection are at the top of the list -- it's still not a finished product. The offense hasn't reached the point where you can say, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." They're only four games into a new season and a new playbook, so there's no reason to be nervous. At least they recognize the issues.

Winning has a way of distorting one's perspective. Teams get caught up in the feel-good emotion of a mini-streak and they forget about the little things that need tweaking, and soon the little things turn into big things. Bill Parcells always used to tell his players: You're either getting better or getting worse, you never stay the same. This is a man who once benched his starting quarterback when the team was 6-3 (Neil O'Donnell, 1997).

So it was refreshing to hear Todd Bowles' response Wednesday when he was asked what he'd like to see from Ryan Fitzpatrick as they move forward.

"Not throw interceptions," the coach said without hesitation.

Was he calling out his quarterback? In a way, yes, but he was speaking the truth. For all the positives Fitzpatrick has brought to the offense -- leadership, smarts, composure, etc. -- he has six interceptions in 145 attempts. That computes to a 4.1 interception percentage, which is a bit scary when you consider it's only a fraction better than Geno Smith's career mark (4.2).

Bowles went on to praise Fitzpatrick for his command of the offense, noting, "He's doing a lot of good things." No doubt, Fitzpatrick is the best man for the job, but he needs to clean up some of his game -- and he knows it."Obviously, the turnovers, especially on my end, have to come down a little bit in terms of the interceptions," he said.

Fitzpatrick said they define the interceptions with three categories -- bad decisions, bad throws and bad-luck plays (tipped passes, etc.). Looking at his six picks, I'd break them up this way -- three bad throws, one bad decision, one bad break (a drop by Marshall) and one borderline play (bad decision/bad break). He also said he scrutinizes the near-interceptions, and, yes, he's had a handful of those.

"I’ve got to try to understand why I’m making certain decisions and try to learn from each play," Fitzpatrick said.

Part of the problem is a lack of diversity in the passing game. When Fitzpatrick is throwing to Marshall or Eric Decker, he's putting up Brady-esque numbers -- a 71-percent completion rate and an impressive 9.4 yards per attempt, according to ESPN Stats & Information. When he throws to the other wide receivers, the numbers turn ugly -- 43.4 and 4.5. The Jets are trying on integrate rookie Devin Smith into the offense, but he and Fitzpatrick still aren't clicking -- five catches in 15 targets.They don't have a pass-catching threat out of the backfield and the tight ends are treated like tackle-eligibles in Chan Gailey's offense, so the options are limited. That being said, they're still a middle-of-the-pack offense in terms of the rankings (13th in scoring, 14th in yards), which is a whole lot better than where they stood last season. One of the reasons is the Fitzpatrick-Marshall tandem.

"We're excited about being part of helping our team to 3-1, but the cool thing about Fitz and also myself, we feel like we've left a lot of meat on the bone," Marshall said. "We're definitely not where we want to be."

Ditto, the entire offense.

>     http://espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/54998/dont-get-caught-up-in-feel-good-story-jets-offense-needs-work

[jgb]

It's nice to have a locker room that isn't split between offense and defense for the first time in 4 years

[SouthernJet]

It's nice to have a locker room that isn't split between offense and defense for the first time in 4 years

Amen!!!!!!!!!

 

Every  Ryan family team has had a fracture between the O and the D. 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09000d5d82182e5d/Pick-Six-Buddy-not-so-friendly-with-Gilbride

 

[Joe W. Namath]

Bowles has been solid so far and so has Fitz.  Jets football is fun again.  Enjoy.

[kelly]

 -- Some people might call Sunday a trap game for the New York Jets. We all know what's lurking beyond the Washington Redskins -- yep, the New England Patriots. The Jets could be playing next week for a share of first place in the AFC East.

But here's the reality: It's always a trap game for the Jets when they come off a bye week, regardless of the next opponent.

Instead of being refreshed and refocused, the Jets usually are listless and sloppy. Under former coach Rex Ryan, they were 1-5 the week after the bye, outscored in the losses by a 138-48 margin. They suffered blowouts the last three years, including the infamous 2013 game in which Ryan brought the team to a Dave & Buster's restaurant on a Saturday night in Buffalo. Yeah, that backfired in a big way.

Ryan's predecessor, Eric Mangini, was 3-0 coming out of the bye, so maybe this is a Rex thing. We'll find out on Sunday as Todd Bowles gets a chance to reverse the recent trend.Bowles gave the Jets a week off, reconvening on Monday for a shake-off-the-rust practice. Before anyone compares Bowles to Ryan, who was criticized for giving long vacations during the bye, let's not forget the current Jets played their last game in London -- a five-hour time difference. Ryan never had to deal with an overseas trip and a seven-hour return flight.

Bowles said he based his decision on his feel for the team and the injury situation, adding, "I've been on teams where we practiced all week and we got killed on Sunday."To use a football term, this is a chance for the Jets (3-1) to gain additional separation from the Ryan era. Let's be fair: It wasn't all bad under Ryan, but the bye week was a sensitive issue, right up there with handling the quarterbacks and wasting timeouts.

Holdover Willie Colon said there's a sense of "urgency" around the team, and he doesn't think there will be any post-bye blues.

"This is the time of the year when you have to start stacking wins," Colon said Thursday. "You can't let games slip by because you're not ready mentally or physically, especially off a bye. You have to be extra sharp."Linebacker Calvin Pace said, "We have an older group now, so we know the pitfalls of coming out slow."

Does older mean wiser  ? We should know by 4 p.m. Sunday.

>   http://espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/55007/jets-attempt-to-reverse-maddening-trend-from-rex-ryan-years

[kelly]

Joe Gibbs on Jets' Todd Bowles: 'Always calm despite the situation'

— Todd Bowles might already be making his mark as the first-year head coach of the 3-1 Jets, but his career in the NFL began as a player for those terrific Washington teams of the late-1980s and early '90s.Bowles was a safety who spent seven of his eight seasons as an NFL player with Washington. He was a starter on Washington's Super Bowl XXII championship team. Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs, who won three Super Bowls during that era as Washington's head coach, was Bowles' coach for all but one of Bowles' seasons in Washington.

So with the Jets hosting Washington (2-3) on Sunday at 1 p.m. at MetLife Stadium, it was only natural for Bowles and Gibbs to get asked about those days, and their connection to these days.Bowles, in keeping with his low-key nature, said he had no real emotions about getting to coach against Washington during his first season."No, other than the fact that I played for them," he said. "I've played them quite a few times over my coaching career. You see the helmet and you understand how you got your start and how your upbringing was professionally as a player, so that's something I will never forget."

Gibbs, now the owner of the NASCAR team Joe Gibbs Racing, was not made available for an interview this week about Bowles; a spokesman cited the busy schedule of the ongoing NASCAR racing season. But, in a statement issued by his spokesman, Gibbs did have this to say to NJ Advance Media about his former player :

"Todd was one of those players that was always prepared and ready to play. We certainly had a talented defensive coaching staff around him during his playing days and I'm sure they had a great impact on him. One thing that really stood out about Todd was that he was always calm despite the situation. I don't think he ever got too high or too low. Coaching is a tough profession and I think that is a quality that can really help you because you never know what situation might come up each week. It's been great to watch him work his way into this opportunity with the Jets and certainly it's one that is well-deserved."

>   http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/10/joe_gibbs_on_jets_todd_bowles_always_calm_despite.html#incart_river

[southparkcpa]

Bowles has been solid so far and so has Fitz.  Jets football is fun again.  Enjoy.

absolutely.... We haven't yet beaten a REAL solid team yet so this 3 and 1 team is to be enjoyed.  Let's  see what we look like against the Pats, Bills, Giants etc...  Heck, the Eagles beat us.  

[kelly]

Bowles: Started slow, but team bounced back

Jets head coach Todd Bowles talks about the resiliency he saw in his team in the win over Washington.

>     http://espn.go.com/espnradio/playPopup?id=13919494

[kelly]

Rich Cimini ESPN Staff Writer 

Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick played last year for Texans coach Bill O'Brien, a Bill Belichick disciple. That should provide insight into the Patriots' approach on offense, which could be useful this week. "The way he taught me to think about the game in the year we were together falls down from the New England tree," Fitzpatrick said Monday.

>   http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/newyork-jets

[kelly]

Is Fitzmagic in MVP discussion  ?

OK, so Ryan Fitzpatrick is probably not the league's most valuable player, but his play so far deserves recognition. The Jets' bearded QB has been virtually flawless in the red zone. Seifert: MVP candidates

>      http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/newyork-jets

[AzogtheDefiler]

It's week 7. Let's all chill about MVPs. 

[kelly]

Bill Belichick was the Patriots coach when ESPN analyst Herm Edwards became Jets coach in 2001. Edwards talks Belichick and more with The Post’s Justin Terranova before Sunday’s AFC East showdown.

Q: What is important for Todd Bowles in his first matchup against Belichick ?

A: You play to your strengths. When you start changing your identity and who you are, the players feel that and they are like, “Coach, we’ve done this to get to 4-1, why are we changing? We’re pretty good at what we do.” New England’s game plan is pretty consistent, so Todd will have a plan early in the game and then they’ll probe you try and figure out what you are going to do, how you are going to adjust.

Q: What makes Belichick difficult to coach against ?

A: You have to be able to adjust. Offensively, they are always trying to look at ways to spread you out and find the weaker spots of your defense and attack it whether it’s running the football, going no-huddle. Against Buffalo, he wouldn’t give them time to rotate guys out and he tired them out. So, there’s always going to be an attack. Todd has been coaching a long time and knows what he wants to do there.

Q: Are you surprised at Bowles’ early success ?

A: He was given a really outstanding front seven and they did a great job of acquiring secondary guys with [Darrelle] Revis, [Antonio] Cromartie, [Marcus] Gilchrist and the rest of them. You knew these guys were going to be an outstanding defense, it was just a matter of how fast they can gel. And they seemed to do that very quickly, so that’s good coaching on his part. They are a very confident group.

Q: What are the Patriots’ weaknesses ?

A: When Tom Brady is pressured inside and you stay in your lanes, that gives him problems. Now, they have to get the ball out quickly, if they don’t then their tackles can’t hold up. That’s the problem when you’re spread out, you can get to him quickly off the edge. You can’t allow him to step up in the pocket — that’s where he does most of his work. They do a great job of crossing routes and a lot of rubs and picks if you play man-to-man. Todd has to be alert about that, all of a sudden someone gets picked off and it’s a big play.

Q: What would it mean for the Jets’ confidence to win this game ?
A: If you are going to win the division it goes through New England, and everyone knows that. If you beat them up there, that’s saying a lot. They’ve won the division 12 out of 14 years … it doesn’t take a math major to figure it out.

>     http://nypost.com/2015/10/23/herm-edwards-knows-challenges-bowles-will-face-against-belichick/

[kelly]

Reaching into the New York Jets' mailbag on the eve of Armageddon :

@RichCimini what strengths offensively do u see in these Jets that might make them a playoff team? can they be consistent? #jetsmail

@RichCimini: If the Jets make the playoffs, it'll be a first for two of the keys guys on offense -- Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brandon Marshall. They've played a combined 243 games with no playoff appearances, which might be some sort of record for a quarterback-receiver tandem. That's just an aside, of course. Your question is about offensive strengths that could help them get there.

Four things jump out: They can run the ball, which will take on greater importance in the cold weather. They can protect the quarterback (only two sacks in five games). They're efficient in the red zone (74 percent). They have a balanced attack.

They're close to being a 50-50 offense in terms of run-pass ratio, which is incredibly important when you're talking about an offense that lacks a true game-breaker. The Jets have good personnel, but good personnel becomes better when the playcalling is unpredictable. They will be successful as long as offensive coordinator Chan Gailey follows that script.Other factors working in their favor: They're relatively healthy. They have a deep backfield, and it'll get deeper when Stevan Ridley gets back into the flow. A pair of fresh legs can be huge down the stretch. Remember Shonn Greene in 2009? Another positive is the schedule. The Jets don't face any teams currently ranked in the top-10 in scoring defense.

Concerns  ? You have to wonder about Fitzpatrick, who never has been able to produce consistent results over the course of a full season. His high interception rate (seven in five games) has been largely overlooked because of the team's success, but it'll come back to bite them if it continues. Who knows? Maybe, at age 32, he'll have a career year. For now, all we can go on is his track record. Another potential issue is his durability. He's been running more than ever, leaving himself vulnerable to big hits. If he gets hurt, it's back to Geno Smith.

The bottom line is, yes, the Jets have the makings of a playoff-caliber offense, but they need more consistency in the passing game and a reliable No. 3 option. If they can solve those issues, the Jets could turn into the New York Mets.

>    http://espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/55295/stars-aligning-for-newyork-jets-to-have-playoff-caliber-offense

[kelly]

Rich Cimini ESPN Staff Writer 

Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, criticized for his arm strength, turned facetious when asked if he could've reached the end zone Sunday on a midfield Hail Mary. "I think I max out at about 30 yards with my arm strength," he said. Todd Bowles said he didn't consider Geno Smith an option. He said it would've been "unfair" to put him in cold.

>    http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/newyork-jets

[kelly]

-- November is "moving" month in the NFL, the equivalent to the third round in a golf major. It's when the good teams separate from the pack, positioning themselves for the December stretch run.The New York Jets (4-2), situated nicely in the AFC race, should be no worse than 7-4 by the start of December. They play five games in November, starting Sunday at the Oakland Raiders, and not one of their opponents has a winning record. But they have two .500 teams on the slate (Raiders and Miami Dolphins), and a third (Buffalo Bills) will be amped for the prime-time Rex Bowl at MetLife Stadium.

There's a lot to like about the Jets and the way Todd Bowles has put this thing together. He's right when he says, "I think we'll be a tough out," but they still have some things to clean up. Let's not forget, the Jets are only 2-2 over the past month. One of the biggest mistakes a team can make is to ignore the negatives during times of prosperity. It's human nature to get caught up in the joy ride, leading to complacency. Bowles strikes me as a coach who won't let that happen.

Five areas that need to be addressed:

1. Better starts: The Jets are hurting themselves with early mistakes. You saw it again last Sunday, when Ryan Fitzpatrick fumbled on the second play. The week before, Eric Decker fumbled on the first play. The Jets have seven first-half turnovers, tied for second in the NFL -- three interceptions and four fumbles (two by Brandon Marshall). Many of these could've been avoided, an indication of concentration lapses.

2. More sacks: Yeah, yeah, I know, the sack statistic is often misleading, not always an accurate measurement of a team's pass rush. In fact, the Jets are generating pressure at a high rate (30.5 percent of dropbacks, No. 4 ranking), but sacks are big plays -- and they need more of them. They have only 11 sacks, including five by Muhammad Wilkerson. That's on the low side, considering they've faced three consecutive opponents that didn't have their starting left tackle. The New England Patriots were down to their third-stringer.

3. Another weapon: When Fitzpatrick throws to Marshall or Eric Decker, good things happen more often than not. He has completed 66 percent of his passes to them, averaging 152 yards per game. When he targets the other wide receivers, the numbers drop significantly -- 47.5 percent and 49 yards per game. They need a reliable No. 3 option, but who? Rookie Devin Smith is no Amari Cooper, that's for sure; He's struggling and now he's hurt. Quincy Enunwa is suspended, Chris Owusu is hurt again and the tight ends have no role in Chan Gailey's passing attack. If they're smart, they'll give Jeremy Kerley a consistent role as the No. 3 receiver.

4. Situational football: This is an area of concern for Bowles, who said, "We have to get better with a few situational things to close games out." They've had hiccups in the red zone, in two-minute drills and, of course, on third down (see the infamous third-and-17 against the Patriots). Bowles frequently shows his players video clips from around the league, using them as teaching moments. Situational football is everything in today's NFL.

5. Special teams: The kicking units are dragging way behind the other two phases, and that has to change. The returns units are producing little and the punt team has cost them two touchdowns. If they can turn special teams into a positive, it would make a big difference in terms of field position.

>    http://espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/55518/uncovering-the-secrets-to-a-successful-november-for-jets

[kelly]

Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Jets' starting quarterback, tore at least one ligament in his left (non-throwing) thumb during Sunday's loss at the Raiders. The injury will eventually require surgery, but there is a chance Fitzpatrick can play through it, and return as soon as this Sunday's game against the Jaguars. Geno Smith replaced Fitzpatrick after he was injured on the Jets' first drive in Oakland. Jets coach Todd Bowles is concerned about a couple things with regard to Fitzpatrick's injury — his ability to take a snap from under center, and hand off with his left hand, on running plays when the back comes from Fitzpatrick's right. 

In short, Bowles isn't sure how well Fitzpatrick can grip the ball. Bowles hopes to have a better idea when the Jets resume practice Wednesday. He wants to see Fitzpatrick take some snaps before determining if he can play Sunday.In the meantime, former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday that he expects Fitzpatrick to play through the injury. Keep in mind, Warner was just speculating. He didn't claim to have any inside knowledge about the situation. He was just discussing it Tuesday since he's an NFL Network analyst. It's his opinion. So keep that in mind as you read on. 

"I have a feeling that Ryan's going to play through it," Warner said. "Just knowing him and the toughness that he has, he'll probably play. There are some issues that you face." 

Warner, a right-handed passer, dealt with a left elbow injury during his career. He discussed Fitzpatrick's potential "issues" in the context of his own elbow injury."I think the hardest thing for him will be handing off, more than throwing," Warner said. "When I hurt my elbow, I ended up having to hand off everything with my right hand, which is kind of a unique thing that you've got to get used to. But I think that's the hardest thing, is being able to grip and have strength on the football when you're going to hand it off, and control it that way with his left hand, depending on how bad the damage is and where his strength is."But I think if you can work around that issue, I definitely think that you can play through something like that. When you lose some of that strength — and you guys saw me play with gloves later in my career — with some of those issues like that where you lose the strength, it might be beneficial to throw a glove on there, which gives you just a little more tack to control the football." 

That's an interesting point about the glove. Might Fitzpatrick give that a shot, if he plays against Jacksonville? 

Warner believes Fitzpatrick's thumb injury is "manageable" since it's on his non-throwing hand. He does agree with Bowles' concerns about taking snaps and handing the ball off. Those are Fitzpatrick's biggest hurdles, Warner said. 

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