JetNation Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 At the midway point of the 2011 NFL season the New York Jets stand at 5-3, tied for first place in the AFC East. Lets take a look at Gang Green’s midseason report card. Offense Quarterback © - Entering his third season the expectations were very high for quarterback Mark Sanchez. The young signal caller has had an up and down first half of 2011 tallying 1,775 passing yards with 13 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, and a completion percentage of 57.5. Some of Sanchez’ struggles can be attributed to personnel changes at the wide receiver position, and injuries to the offensive line, but he has also made some terrible decisions (and throws) that resulted in interceptions in the redzone. Mark must do a better job limiting turnovers in the second half of the season. Running backs ©- The New York Jets running backs have struggled in 2011 with Shonn Greene leading the group with 502 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. Again some of the issues can be related to the offensive line struggles, but there were also times where Greene did not run with the explosive power that everyone has become accustomed to. LaDainian Tomlinson has done an excellent job in the 3rd down back role (especially in blitz pickup), with Joe McKnight earning more carries in the second half of the season as well. Wide receivers (B-) - It is hard to truly grade the New York Jets wide receivers as they had to deal with a myriad of issues in the first half of the season, including a quarterback that was running for his life out of the pocket. Plaxico Burress (5tds) is starting to emerge as the redzone threat that the Jets were desperate for, while Santonio Holmes (4tds) and Jeremy Kerley (1td) are starting to open up the field out of the slot position. The group as a whole must become more consistent with their hands. Tight ends (B-)- Dustin Keller leads the team in the catches (29) and yards (436) and could work his way to Hawaii with a great second half of the season. Matthew Mulligan has done a fair job replacing Ben Hartsock at the blocking tight end position, but he has to do a better job in terms of eliminating costly penalties. Offensive line ©- Now that center Nick Mangold has returned from his ankle injury it appears that the offensive line is getting back to their physical ways. Wayne Hunter continues to struggle at times which will be something to keep an eye on in the second half. Defense Defensive line (B-)- The Jets have added some youth, power, and energy to the defense line and it is starting to make a huge difference. Rookie Muhammad Wilkerson has shown flashes, while Sione Pouha and Mike Devito give consistent performances every week. Linebackers (B-)-The injury to Bryan Thomas was a big blow to this unit, but players like Josh Mauga, Aaron Maybin, and Jamaal Westerman have stepped up their game. Calvin Pace could be having his best year as a Jet, and may explode in the second half of the season. Defensive backs (A)- Led by All-Pro Darrelle Revis this group is playing at a very high level. Kyle Wilson is playing with a tremendous amount of confidence while Antonio Cromartie has cleaned up his technique and reduced his penalty issues. Tip of the cap to Donald Strickland as well, who has done a solid job in nickel and dime situations. Safeties (B-) – This group has struggled at times in terms of coverage, especially against tight ends, but overall has played fairly well. Eric Smith (leads team with 48 tackles) remains a thumper in the secondary while Jim Leonhard remains the brains of the defense. Brodney Pool has made several big plays that have gone unnoticed. Special Teams Returners (A)- Brad Smith who? Joe McKnight has had a fantastic first half of the season averaging a league high 40.2 yards on kickoff returns. Rookie Jeremy Kerley will need to be a little more consistent on punt returns. Kicking (A)- This grade is more for Nick Folk who had an excellent first half of the season making 12/13 kicks with a long of 50 yards. T.J. Conley is averaging 43 yards a punt, but has had several shaky punts in a big spot. Offensive MVP- LaDainian Tomlinson (this award is more for what LT had to do in the locker room during the Jets losing streak than his performance on the field) Defensive MVP- Darrelle Revis (should be leading candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year) Most improved- Kyle Wilson, Joe McKnight Biggest surprise- Aaron Maybin After 8 games of the season the New York Jets have a chance at a division title and a playoff berth. I think everyone would have signed up for that at the beginning of the season. </img> </img> View the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 JetNation has copyrighted the terms "Quarterbacks," "Backs," and "Line"? No wonder Max is Soothsayer-wealthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LionelRichie Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Offensive MVP = Nick Mangold LT would probably be 3rd or 4th on my list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tparich Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Offensive MVP = Nick Mangold LT would probably be 3rd or 4th on my list. I agree, I never want to see our offense without him again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedin Green Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Looks good for the most part, although the DL is the one unit who's grade I think is certainly too low. To give the same grade to the DL and safeties is just a tad excessive. This is probably the second strongest unit on the entire team behind the CBs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peebag Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Offensive MVP = Nick Mangold LT would probably be 3rd or 4th on my list. Mangold or Rob Turner -one or the other.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoping4ASuperBowl Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Looks good for the most part, although the DL is the one unit who's grade I think is certainly too low. To give the same grade to the DL and safeties is just a tad excessive. This is probably the second strongest unit on the entire team behind the CBs. Considering how poorly the dline started the season I think the grade is ok. Our safeties have been surprisingly good how rarely a big/deep play is successful on this D. The dline is still improving and by season end that grade could be a lot higher when we get Devito back into the rotation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedin Green Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Considering how poorly the dline started the season I think the grade is ok. Our safeties have been surprisingly good how rarely a big/deep play is successful on this D. The dline is still improving and by season end that grade could be a lot higher when we get Devito back into the rotation. As far as the DL starting out poorly, are you referring to the issues with the run defense? If so, that has been much more of a problem with the LBs (namely the BT replacements) than the DL. Even with DeVito out, guys like Dixon and Pitoitua have had very good seasons in the DL rotation. I think the safeties have been mediocre at best, Leonhard is solid if unspectacular and Smith is back to his old ways of one good play surrounded by 3 in which he clearly has no idea what he's doing, blows his coverage or just falls flat on his face. Considering the Jets don't exactly play a lot of 2-deep, the lack of deep completions has been more a testament to the CBs than anything else. Revis is obviously who he is and Cro's probably at his best when covering the deep ball. And while his position typically has him covering far fewer deep routes, Wilson has been having a great year at nickel as well. While I'll concede the safeties have played better the past few weeks, they're still a rather unimpressive unit. At the very least, I would still say not nearly as good this year as the DL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Mannish put together a report card, too. Rex Ryan and Darrelle Revis earn high grades on NY Jets midseason report card Jets overcome three-game losing streak to get back on track BY Manish Mehta NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Wednesday, November 9 2011, 12:30 AM Nick Laham/Getty Images Darrelle Revis, who has tallied 25 tackles and four interceptions this season, is the Jets' defensive MVP through Week 9. The Jets have overcome locker-room bickering and dissension to give themselves a legitimate chance at the AFC East title with a 5-3 record. Rex Ryan’s team looked lost during an early three-game skid only to return to familiar form with a solid rushing attack and air-tight defense. “We certainly didn’t count ourselves out,” Ryan said of his team’s 2-3 start. “We knew that our team could improve. We knew we put together a good football team. (We) thought we could get better.” Gang Green has gone 5-3 in the second half in each of Ryan’s first two seasons. A repeat of that would likely push them into the postseason once again. However, the Jets face a challenging second-half schedule that features the Patriots, Bills, Giants and Eagles. “We’ve known all along that it’s going to come down to November and December,” safety Jim Leonhard said. “We had our rough patch earlier this year, but we came out of it, and now everything’s in front of us. We know we need to play well.” Here are their midseason grades: QUARTERBACKS C Mark Sanchez is still a work in progress who needs to improve his accuracy and take better care of the ball. His 57.5 completion percentage ranks 26th in the league. He’s also on pace for a career-high 24 turnovers. Although Ryan measures his third-year quarterback by wins, there’s little doubt he’d like to see better play from him to make obtaining those victories a little easier. RUNNING BACKS C- Shonn Greene (502 yards) was invisible for the first month before showing some signs of life over the past four games for the league’s 25th-ranked rushing attack. The third-year running back has topped 100 yards just once and averages only 3.8 yards per carry in his first season as the feature back. LaDainian Tomlinson ( 23 catches for 290 yards) has carved out his role on third downs. WIDE RECEIVERS C- Neither Santonio Holmes (24 catches, 340 yards) nor Plaxico Burress (23 catches, 322 yards) is on pace to reach 700 yards. Holmes still possesses game-changing skills, but has been underutilized despite having signed a 5- year, $45 million deal. Over the past two games, Burress has showed signs of breaking out of his funk. TIGHT ENDS B+ Dustin Keller has the sixth-most receiving yards among tight ends (436) and has shown flashes of being a premier player at his position. The fourth-year tight end, who leads the team in catches and yards, is on pace for a career-high 58 receptions. OFFENSIVE LINE C The most reliable unit of the offense in the past couple years appears to be back on track after a rocky start. All-Pro center Nick Mangold’s high ankle sprain that forced him to miss the better part of three games is a thing of the past. DEFENSIVE LINE B+ The younger and deeper unit is improving every week. Nose tackle Sione Pouha and Mike DeVito are still run-stuffing beasts, but they’ll need more help from Marcus Dixon and rookies Mo Wilkerson and Kenrick Ellis in the second half. LINEBACKERS B+ OLB Bryan Thomas’ season-ending Achilles injury created an opportunity for Aaron Maybin, who has provided the Jets with a legitimate edge rusher. Calvin Pace is quietly having the best year of his career. Inside linebackers David Harris and Bart Scott are steady. A once shaky run defense has looked much better in recent weeks. DEFENSIVE BACKS A Darrelle Revis is having a Defensive MVP-type season. Antonio Cromartie has been inconsistent at times, but has made plenty of game-changing plays for the league’s seventh-ranked pass defense. SPECIAL TEAMS A It’s no surprise that Mike Westhoff boasts one of the best special teams unit once again. Joe McKnight is having a Pro Bowl season with a league-high 40.2 kickoff return average. Nick Folk has missed just one field goal in 13 tries so far. COACHES B- Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s return to a more balanced attack has served the Jets well after a failed experiment to try to air it out in the first month. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has helped rectify the team’s inability to stop outside runs earlier in the year. Ryan’s admission that his team needed to return to its ground-and-pound roots might have saved the Jets’ season from spiraling out of control. FRONT OFFICE C General manager Mike Tannenbaum’s draft picks have yet to make a difference, and signing WR Derrick Mason was a mistake, but his decision to bring back Aaron Maybin after cutting him right after the preseason deserves kudos. THREE REASONS TO HOPE 1. The defense looks like it has regained its 2009 form. Pettine used a brilliant plan to stymie the Bills last week. 2. The renewed commitment to the run has jump-started the offense with three straight 100+ yard efforts on the ground during the current winning streak. 3. Ryan’s team finally seems to have a home-field advantage, which will serve it well with four tough remaining games at MetLife Stadium against the Patriots, Bills, Chiefs and Giants. THREE REASONS TO WORRY 1. Mark Sanchez is still prone to making one or two critical mistakes per game. 2. Although Shonn Greene has played better in recent weeks, can he carry the load when the weather turns nasty and the offense needs him the most? 3. The Jets are happy spreading the ball around to all their offensive options rather than consistently feeding Holmes, who is clearly their best weapon. Maybe a few more Sanchez-to-Holmes hookups would make it easier for the Jets to pull away earlier in games. Offensive MVP TE Dustin Keller Defensive MVP CB Darrelle Revis Special Teams MVP KR Joe McKnight Biggest Surprise OLB Aaron Maybin Biggest Disappointment RB Shonn Greene Best Rookie DL Mo Wilkerson Best acquisition OLB Aaron Maybin Worst acquisition WR Derrick Mason Best-kept secret ST Nick Bellore Best coaching move Returning to their ground-and-pound roots after realizing that’s the best offensive formula to win for this team. Worst coaching move Trying to open up the offense at the start of the season by leaning on Sanchez too much. Best moment Shutting down the Chargers in the second half of a 27-21 win in Week 7. Worst moment The four-turnover meltdown in a 34-17 loss to the Ravens in Week 4. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/rex-ryan-darrelle-revis-earn-high-grades-ny-jets-midseason-report-card-article-1.974872#ixzz1dE6fr6XK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 JetNation has copyrighted the terms "Quarterbacks," "Backs," and "Line"? No wonder Max is Soothsayer-wealthy. I think I missed the memo but am just happy to find out I am wealthy regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoping4ASuperBowl Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 As far as the DL starting out poorly, are you referring to the issues with the run defense? If so, that has been much more of a problem with the LBs (namely the BT replacements) than the DL. Even with DeVito out, guys like Dixon and Pitoitua have had very good seasons in the DL rotation. I think the safeties have been mediocre at best, Leonhard is solid if unspectacular and Smith is back to his old ways of one good play surrounded by 3 in which he clearly has no idea what he's doing, blows his coverage or just falls flat on his face. Considering the Jets don't exactly play a lot of 2-deep, the lack of deep completions has been more a testament to the CBs than anything else. Revis is obviously who he is and Cro's probably at his best when covering the deep ball. And while his position typically has him covering far fewer deep routes, Wilson has been having a great year at nickel as well. While I'll concede the safeties have played better the past few weeks, they're still a rather unimpressive unit. At the very least, I would still say not nearly as good this year as the DL. I was referring to the run defense, yes. I thought both the DL and LB's underperformed early on, especially the LB's cause of the loss of BT. I guess I should look at it more in depth, but I thought both groups performed much better as the season has gone on and I feel like the loss of BT is not felt the same as it was closer towards the beginning of the season, or even when he was here and the defense was worse then also. The safeties I agree have overachieved. But they haven't give up big plays either. I still wouldn't mind drafting a big time safety next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Jet Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Keller offensive MVP? What the ****ing ****? Offensive MVP's are as always Brick and Mangold. Without those two our offense goes from an average and potentially good unit to an extremely painful trainwreck waiting to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 If you put aside the Baltimore game, most of the Oakland game, the first half of the Buffalo game and a various points of the New England game, Mark Sanchez is this team's MVP. Haters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedin Green Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 If you put aside the Baltimore game, most of the Oakland game, the first half of the Buffalo game and a various points of the New England game, Mark Sanchez is this team's MVP. Haters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Oh no! My acclaim! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RutgersJetFan Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 If you put aside the Baltimore game, most of the Oakland game, the first half of the Buffalo game and a various points of the New England game, Mark Sanchez is this team's MVP. Haters. He's also in the top 10 for....something, he's in the top 10 for something if you do all of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedin Green Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Oh no! My acclaim! That's right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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