..the " Red Zone " dept. ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

 -- Brandon Marshall is right. They got "too cute" in the red zone.

On Sunday, the New York Jets attempted to pass on 12 of 14 snaps inside theKansas City Chiefs' 20-yard line (including one that resulted in a defensive pass-interference penalty), a shocking disparity that makes you wonder if they're experiencing an identity crisis on offense.

"I think we know who we are. We just have to be who we are," coach Todd Bowles said Monday, channeling his inner Zen.

For the most part, Chan Gailey has done a terrific job in 19 games as the offensive coordinator, but he got too pass-happy Sunday and the result was a brutal day in the red zone -- four trips, no touchdowns. The Jets abandoned the running game, and that's too bad because they're averaging 3.71 yards per attempt inside the 20, fourth-best in the NFL. A week earlier, Matt Forte was a red-zone beast, scoring three touchdowns.Much of the Jets' 2015 success hinged on their red-zone efficiency -- No. 1 in the league -- and they need to regain that mojo, starting Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Because they don't have a stable of home-run threats, the Jets need to excel when they get close to the goal line. Every missed opportunity looms large.

Marshall's "too cute" comment after the game, which he declined to explain, shined a light on the play-calling issue. Defending Gailey, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said the run-pass disparity was based on the opponent."Each week, it's going to change, depending on what we're expecting and what the defense is giving us," said Fitzpatrick, who threw a career-high six interceptions in the game. "That's a week-by-week deal. It wasn't necessarily the play calling as much as it was the execution by me." Fitzpatrick was terrible in the red zone, completing only 3 of 11 passes for 6 yards, with no touchdowns and three interceptions. He acknowledged the first two of those interceptions were forced throws. Quincy Enunwa could've helped him out, but that second pick in the red area came on a ball that went off the receiver's hands. Enunwa also had a drop in the end zone.

The bottom line is, the Jets didn't do a good job of getting the ball to their playmakers. You have to credit the Chiefs, who were dialed in on the Jets' tendencies. Marshall andEric Decker combined for four catches in the game, which means they caught two fewer passes than Kansas City defenders."I just think it was a bad day at the office," Bowles said of Fitzpatrick's red-zone struggles. "It was a bad day, not a bad year. It was a bad day for all of us involved. It doesn't make for a bad week, a bad month or a bad year. It was a bad day."To prevent more bad days, the Jets need to establish a physical mentality on offense. It can't be all four-wide, empty-backfield and pitch-and-catch. Yes, it's a passing league, but every team needs a little ground-and-pound to maintain the balance.

>      http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/63420/jets-battling-an-identity-crisis-on-offense-especially-in-the-red-zone

[kelly]

 The Jets on Sunday went 0 of 4 in the red zone while losing 24-3 at the Chiefs. Did the Jets' pass-happy approach inside Kansas City's 20-yard line hurt them ?

Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall didn't say exactly that after the game. But he did say the Jets might be getting "too cute" in the red zone. He declined to specify what he meant by "too cute."Consider that the Jets had 14 snaps in the red zone Sunday, though one technically wasn't a play, because the Chiefs were flagged for defensive pass interference on an incomplete pass.

The Jets ran just three times in the red zone Sunday — two 2-yard gains by Matt Forte and a 3-yard gain by Bilal Powell. They passed 11 times, including the play that ended with pass interference.Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick completed just two passes in the red zone Sunday — a 4-yarder to Quincy Enunwa and a 7-yarder to Powell. Fitzpatrick also threw three interceptions, all into the end zone. He had five other incomplete passes in the red zone, not including the pass interference play. 

How does this compare to the previous week, when the Jets thrived in the red zone at Buffalo, going 4 of 7 with scoring touchdowns ? 

Well, the Jets ran 10 times in the red zone at Buffalo and passed three times — basically the reverse of Sunday's approach. Fitzpatrick was 2-of-3 passing in the red zone against the Bills, including a 5-yard touchdown to Eric Decker.The Jets' 10 red zone running plays in Buffalo resulted in 43 yards — including 37 yards for Forte, on eight carries. Forte ran for touchdowns of 1, 3, and 12 yards. 

In Kansas City, though, the Jets opted to not run the ball in a couple red zone situations that might have called for it.In the third quarter, they had first-and-goal at the 5, and Fitzpatrick threw an incomplete pass and interception on the next two plays.On the Jets' next drive, they had first-and-goal at the 6. Same thing — incomplete and interception on the next two plays.In both of those situations, the Jets trailed 17-3. But both times, they decided to throw the ball, deep in Chiefs territory, and came away with zero points when they desperately needed touchdowns. 

>      http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/09/why_did_jets_pass_so_much_in_red_zone_at_chiefs.html#incart_river_index

[LIJetsFan]

It's on Gailey as mush as it's on Sixpatrick.  Chan has to adjust to Fitz's having a bad day and go more to the run in the red zone if for no other reason than to insure 3 rather than risk another int.  

[kelly]

• — The Jets, through three games, are 6 of 16 this season with scoring touchdowns in the red zone.

  That's a 37.5-percent clip, compared to 66 percent for the Jets last year, when they finished third in the NFL in red zone offense.After Sunday's brutal 24-3 loss at the Chiefs, Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall said the team "may be getting too cute" in the red zone.He declined to elaborate on what he meant by "too cute." Was he questioning offensive coordinator Chan Gailey's play calling? It wasn't clear. 

  At a Jets charity event Tuesday, Marshall was asked again about the comment. He said that, from a personal standpoint, he needs to stop overthinking his routes in the red zone, based on what he sees from a defensive back before the snap."There was a lot of that going on, and it starts with guys like myself and Fitz," Marshall said, referring to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. "We've just got to go out there and play ball and play fast, instead of trying to be scientists out there all the time. I've got to go out there and make the plays no matter what's going on." 

  The Jets used a pass-heavy red zone approach in Kansas City, after doing well with a run-heavy approach in Buffalo. The Jets went 0 of 4 in the red zone in Kansas City, 4 of 7 in Buffalo, and 2 of 5 in the opener against the Bengals. 

  Would Marshall like to see the Jets run the ball more in the red zone? 

  "No!" he jokingly protested. "No! I want to catch the ball. I want the ball. That's a terrible question for a wide receiver."Seriously, though, the Jets have an effective running back, Matt Forte, and they did well with running in the red zone in Buffalo, right? "I would say this: We definitely have to take advantage of our talent," Marshall said. "It's hard for coaches, man, when you have three, four receivers that can make plays, and then you have a back like Matt Forte. So I don't envy Chan Gailey's job. It's a difficult one, and there's only one ball.

  "We went to Kansas City and we got hit in the mouth, and now we'll adjust and make the right calls. So whether it's throwing the ball or running the ball, we're going to take advantage of whatever the defense is giving us."Marshall also said he experienced no setbacks while playing on a sprained left knee in Kansas City, after sustaining the injury a week earlier in Buffalo. 

  Marshall spoke Tuesday after a Jets charity event at Harlem's A. Philip Randolph Campus High School. The Jets donated $100,000 to New York's Public Schools Athletic League, to help launch a football program at Randolph High.The Jets' donation to the PSAL also will help recondition helmets and provide USA Football Heads Up coaching certification.Plus, Marshall is launching a program called Project Prevent — through his Project 375 foundation — that provides the Lucid mental training app to all PSAL football teams this season. Marshall wants to reach kids through his foundation, which raises awareness about mental health issues. 

  "It was important for me to make sure our kids are in position to reach their full potential," said Marshall, who has struggled with borderline personality disorder. "If I had something in school that could've been preventive and intervened early, I may have not gone through a lot of the things that I went through." 

  http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/09/jets_must_stop_trying_to_be_scientists_in_red_zone.html#incart_river_index

[kelly]

Rich Cimini ESPN Staff Writer 

Jets WR Brandon Marshall said improvement in the red zone starts with him and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Marshall noted that he still hasn't scored a TD: "Not a good start to the season if you have me on your fantasy team."

 

>      http://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets