Film Review: Analyzing Geno's Mistakes

[flgreen]

Film review: Analyzing Geno's mistakes

 

 

September, 14, 2013

 

Sep 14

 

 

11:40

 

 

PM ET

 

 

By  Rich Cimini | ESPNNewYork.com

 

 

 

 

 

Geno Smith Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY SportsGeno Smith held onto the ball way too long against the Pats.

 

Some observations after reviewing the Jets' loss to the Patriots:

 

 

Geno's hat trick: Rough night for Geno Smith, obviously. Let's take the interceptions one by one:

 

 

1. This was the costliest interception because it came at the Patriots' 27; the Jets already were in range for a potential game-tying field goal. A few things went wrong. DE Chandler Jones beat LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson with an outside rush. Jones was behind Smith, still not close enough to sack him, but his presence influenced Smith, who escaped the pocket. This was a case of happy feet, as Smith still had time. Once flushed, he should've kept the ball; he could've beat DT Vince Wilfork to the corner. Smith spotted Santonio Holmes, who was open for a split-second. Smith tried to thread it through a few defenders, but the ball was behind Holmes and picked off by Aqib Talib. Bad decision, bad throw.

 

 

2. Smith stared down Clyde Gates the entire play -- a rookie mistake. Gates had a step on his man, CB Alfonzo Dennard. Against a single-high safety, there was a window for Smith, but he telegraphed it and threw a split-second too late. Dennard made a nice play, jumping the route.

 

 

3. This ended the game and precipitated the melee along the Patriots' sideline. Smith called this a "terrible" play on his part, but there may have been a miscommunication with WR Stephen Hill. Hill ran a 20-yard route and Smith threw it at 18 yards. This was a good play to run against a double-high safety look, but Smith and Hill didn't seem to be on the same page. Game over.

 

 

 

 

Geno Smith

 

Geno Smith

 

 

#7 QB

 

New York Jets

 

 

2013 STATS

 

Att73

 

Comp39

 

Yds470

 

TD1

 

Int4

 

Rat55.2

 

Four sacks allowed: Offensive linemen always get the blame for sacks, but sometimes it's not their fault. (Man, I sound like our old friend, Coach "Guge.") You could make a case that all four sacks allowed by the Jets fall into that category. Smith continued his tendency to hold the ball too long. The receivers also had trouble getting open against the Patriots' press coverage. Consider:

 

 

1. Ferguson was beat on a wide rush by DE Michael Buchanan, but the play took 5.1 seconds, according to my stopwatch -- too long for a quarterback to hold the ball.

 

 

2. LG Vladimir Ducasse was beat by Jones on a play that took 3.5 seconds. Hill beat his man on a slant, but the quarterback failed to pull the trigger.

 

 

3. Jones was chipped by Holmes and beat Ferguson for the sack, but a lack of pocket presence was a contributing factor. Smith was all over the pocket and didn't see an open Holmes in the left flat. He held the ball for 4.1 seconds.

 

 

4. RT Austin Howard got beat by an outside rush from DT Tommy Kelly (it's never good when a tackle lets a 310-pounder out-quick him), but Howard didn't get much help from Smith. RB Chris Ivory was open to the right, waving his arm, but Smith never saw him.

 

 

A freebie for Brady: The Patriots' only touchdown came on a blown coverage. The Jets appeared confused by the Patriots' personnel package. On a third-and-2, they used three wide receivers and one tight end -- and the tight end was LT Nate Solder, who was identified as an eligible receiver. Tom Brady, perhaps sensing the Jets weren't lined up properly, took a quick snap and ran a hard play-action fake that sucked the defense to the line of scrimmage. WR Aaron Dobson, lined up in a tight wing, was uncovered for a 39-yard touchdown reception.

 

 

It's possible that rookie CB Dee Milliner, who was lined up on the weak side, was supposed to be on the strong side, covering Dobson. Milliner didn't cover anyone and reacted quickly as soon as he saw Dobson with the ball, one of those "uh-oh, that's my man" reactions. If it was Milliner's mistake, it was one of several in the first half, resulting in his benching in the second half.

 

 

Heating up Brady: Aside from the busted coverage, it's hard to quibble with the Jets' defensive performance. They frustrated Brady like we've never seen him. At one point, he was screaming at teammates on the sideline. Brady and his patchwork receiving corps were completely out of sync, but they managed to avoid interceptions. I'm surprised Rex Ryan didn't blitz more often, trying to pressure Brady into bad decisions. By my count, he sent more than four rushers on only 12 of 40 dropbacks.

 

 

Ryan has shown in the past he can contain Brady with an emphasis on coverage, not pressure, but I thought he'd change it up because of the Patriots' lack of weapons. Again, the defense was fantastic, but it didn't create any game-changing plays. Considering the state of the offense, the Jets need their defense to create turnovers, shortening the field.

 

 

 

PatriotsWilliam Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY SportsWillie Colon (No. 66) shoved referee Carl Cheffers during Thursday's melee. A major no-no.

 

The melee: Since I mentioned it, let's review the ugliness.

 

 

Clearly, it was a late hit by C Nick Mangold, who could get fined, but it looked worse than it should've been because Talib was showboating and made like a ballet dancer, trying a spin as he went out of bounds. Patriots coach Bill Belichick was one of the instigators, as he got into Mangold's face. Ferguson received a mini-push from behind by Wilfork, and that set him off. Two officials tried to pull Ferguson away, and one -- head linesman Kent Payne -- lost his balance and fell on his rear end. Ferguson took a swing at Dennard, who was on the ground in the scrum. Ferguson was ejected for throwing a punch.

 

 

LG Willie Colon, arriving on the scene, shoved referee Carl Cheffers, who lost his balance and nearly went down. You can't make contact with an official; that's a big no-no. He immediately threw his flag, resulting in Colon's ejection. A few seconds later, Colon did it again. He was being pushed away from the scene by back judge Todd Prukop and side judge Laird Hayes. Colon threw his arms up, making additional contact.

 

 

Naturally, the league is reviewing the matter. Colon and Ferguson figure to be fined, and there could be suspensions as well. Colon would appear to be in the most danger of being suspended; it would be crushing for the Jets if Colon and Ferguson are suspended. An ejection doesn't automatically mean a suspension.

[MexiRoll6]

Between Gates and Hill there were SEVEN dropped passes that cost the Jets a possible 13 points. Two were in FG range and one was a TD drop. My question is how about a Rex Watch? How many games does this jacka$$ get to lose by sticking with incompetent players before Idzik pulls the plug (mercifully) on him? The Jets may not have a lot of options, but you have to TRY SOMETHING. Cutting Gates would send a message to the ENTIRE team that lack of focus and intensity WILL NOT be tolerated.

[jetsjetsjetss]

Between Gates and Hill there were SEVEN dropped passes that cost the Jets a possible 13 points. Two were in FG range and one was a TD drop. My question is how about a Rex Watch? How many games does this jacka$$ get to lose by sticking with incompetent players before Idzik pulls the plug (mercifully) on him? The Jets may not have a lot of options, but you have to TRY SOMETHING. Cutting Gates would send a message to the ENTIRE team that lack of focus and intensity WILL NOT be tolerated.

 

its not rex's fault we dnt have wide recievers. If you get rid of gates and hill who do u want playing for the jets?

[Smashmouth]

2. Smith stared down Clyde Gates the entire play -- a rookie mistake. Gates had a step on his man, CB Alfonzo Dennard. Against a single-high safety, there was a window for Smith, but he telegraphed it and threw a split-second too late. Dennard made a nice play, jumping the route.

 

So Smith was a split second late ....too bad they forgot to mention the ball hit Clyde Gates Directly on the chest and his hands were still no where in position to catch the football. Gates sucks, this was NOT Genos fault QB's do not throw every single pass perfectly when will this team have a WR who can go get the ball in traffic and make a play ?? Especially when it hits them in the chest.

 

1. Ferguson was beat

 

3. Jones was chipped by Holmes and beat Ferguson for the sack

 

Ferguson, another grossly overrated Jet. Guy had 1 may 2 good seasons the rest ? SUCK Usually giving up double digit sacks to which he is well on his way once again . He's not a good run blocker so someone please tell me WTF makes this guy get the praise he gets ?

 

This offense for the most part is in rebuild mode I would not mind it at all if this guy was sent packing if a real LT was on the draft board.

[flgreen]

According to Cimini  Ferguson held his block for 5.1 seconds.  How is that getting beat?

[cr726]

Gee, don't let your hate for Ferguson get in the way of your opinion.

2. Smith stared down Clyde Gates the entire play -- a rookie mistake. Gates had a step on his man, CB Alfonzo Dennard. Against a single-high safety, there was a window for Smith, but he telegraphed it and threw a split-second too late. Dennard made a nice play, jumping the route.

 

So Smith was a split second late ....too bad they forgot to mention the ball hit Clyde Gates Directly on the chest and his hands were still no where in position to catch the football. Gates sucks, this was NOT Genos fault QB's do not throw every single pass perfectly when will this team have a WR who can go get the ball in traffic and make a play ?? Especially when it hits them in the chest.

 

1. Ferguson was beat

 

3. Jones was chipped by Holmes and beat Ferguson for the sack

 

Ferguson, another grossly overrated Jet. Guy had 1 may 2 good seasons the rest ? SUCK Usually giving up double digit sacks to which he is well on his way once again . He's not a good run blocker so someone please tell me WTF makes this guy get the praise he gets ?

 

This offense for the most part is in rebuild mode I would not mind it at all if this guy was sent packing if a real LT was on the draft board.

[flgreen]

2. Smith stared down Clyde Gates the entire play -- a rookie mistake. Gates had a step on his man, CB Alfonzo Dennard. Against a single-high safety, there was a window for Smith, but he telegraphed it and threw a split-second too late. Dennard made a nice play, jumping the route.

 

So Smith was a split second late ....too bad they forgot to mention the ball hit Clyde Gates Directly on the chest and his hands were still no where in position to catch the football. Gates sucks, this was NOT Genos fault QB's do not throw every single pass perfectly when will this team have a WR who can go get the ball in traffic and make a play ?? Especially when it hits them in the chest.

 

1. Ferguson was beat

 

3. Jones was chipped by Holmes and beat Ferguson for the sack

 

Ferguson, another grossly overrated Jet. Guy had 1 may 2 good seasons the rest ? SUCK Usually giving up double digit sacks to which he is well on his way once again . He's not a good run blocker so someone please tell me WTF makes this guy get the praise he gets ?

 

This offense for the most part is in rebuild mode I would not mind it at all if this guy was sent packing if a real LT was on the draft board.

 

As we speak Oday Aboushi, and Ben Ijalana are competing to see who can replace the bum  Pro Bowler.  Shouldn't be hard

[bitonti]

its not rex's fault we dnt have wide recievers. If you get rid of gates and hill who do u want playing for the jets?

 

you dont get it. Cutting receivers makes the team better and firing Rex should get us to the Super Bowl. It's addition by destruction. 

[bitonti]

As we speak Oday Aboushi, and Ben Ijalana are competing to see who can replace the bum  Pro Bowler.  Shouldn't be hard

 

DBrick gave the rookie 5.1 seconds. That's a lifetime in NFL terms. Ben Ijalana and Oday Aboushi can't even get active. 

[flgreen]

DBrick gave the rookie 5.1 seconds. That's a lifetime in NFL terms. Ben Ijalana and Oday Aboushi can't even get active. 

 

Bit I mentioned the 5.1 seconds earlier.   I was joking.  I can't imagine why either Aboushi or Ijalana are on the team.  There has got to be somebody better out there somewhere

[Lizard King]

Disappointing. I thought there would be some real film study.

One thing I noticed about Geno is he does not hop around well in the pocket. Watch all the good QB's, just compare Brady to him actually and just watch the footwork. All the good ones do little 1/4 second hops from one side to the next and scan the receivers. Geno is very flat and elongated.

[Larz]

analyzing his mistakes ?

 

what about his big time throw to holmes when he was about to get blasted ?

 

who is this guy, smushmouth ?

[sirlancemehlot]

Blaming the WRs is a bit unfair. Geno hasn't threaded the needle, hit a wr in stride or thrown a guy open. Even the big Gates drop was a bad throw, short that caused gates to break stride and turn back. Watch he good QBs put the ball on the money and you'll see tat, though the WRs did have some bad drops, geno does not get a free pass.

[Smashmouth]

As we speak Oday Aboushi, and Ben Ijalana are competing to see who can replace the bum  Pro Bowler.  Shouldn't be hard

 

Come on flgreen I think I made it clear to replace with a solid draft pick not any of the scrubs we currently have on the roster trying to even make the football team. Certainly you don't think that's what I was pushing for. As for the pro bowler I think the guy actually earned one pro bowl spot and it was his best year one he never came close to again or was close to before he got the nod .... The other time I think he was an alternate, I could be wrong about the pro bole berths  but  he's a middle of the road type player and Im of the opinion in a league continuously moving toward passing first and passing often a LT is one of the most important positions on the field on Offense. Consistent Double digit sacks is inexcusable for a team that throws less than most in the NFL with the run first philosophy for a good while now. Some of the better LT's in the league don't even approach those sack totals given up.

[Smashmouth]

analyzing his mistakes ?

 

what about his big time throw to holmes when he was about to get blasted ?

 

who is this guy, smushmouth ?

 

Hey I got an Idea why don't you read my post and respond to it .

[JoeKlecko]

Four sacks allowed: Offensive linemen always get the blame for sacks, but sometimes it's not their fault. (Man, I sound like our old friend, Coach "Guge.") You could make a case that all four sacks allowed by the Jets fall into that category. Smith continued his tendency to hold the ball too long. The receivers also had trouble getting open against the Patriots' press coverage. Consider:

 

 

I have a question for all you folks who keep harping on Geno holding the ball too long.  I'm not disputing that this is not a good thing to do, nor am I saying that Geno hasn't missed open receivers that has led to at least some of these occasions where he holds the ball too long.  That said, what exactly is he supposed to do if no receiver is open?  When they're passing the ball four out of five downs is he supposed to throw it away two or three of those downs?  That will lead to a lot of three and outs.  Is he supposed to run every time?  Geno's pretty fast, but he's not the runner RG3 is, he doesn't; have the size of a Cam Newton, plus that's never been a big part of his game, so his instincts are lacking there, and it would likely lead to his eventually getting injured if he runs too often.

 

Again, I'm not criticizing anyone for pointing out that he's holding the ball too long, but I would like to see some suggestions on what he can do/how he can avoid this other than the overly simple, just throw it away.

[CTM]

 

I have a question for all you folks who keep harping on Geno holding the ball too long.  I'm not disputing that this is not a good thing to do, nor am I saying that Geno hasn't missed open receivers that has led to at least some of these occasions where he holds the ball too long.  That said, what exactly is he supposed to do if no receiver is open?  When they're passing the ball four out of five downs is he supposed to throw it away two or three of those downs?  That will lead to a lot of three and outs.  Is he supposed to run every time?  Geno's pretty fast, but he's not the runner RG3 is, he doesn't; have the size of a Cam Newton, plus that's never been a big part of his game, so his instincts are lacking there, and it would likely lead to his eventually getting injured if he runs too often.

 

Again, I'm not criticizing anyone for pointing out that he's holding the ball too long, but I would like to see some suggestions on what he can do/how he can avoid this other than the overly simple, just throw it away.

 

 

 

he's missing open people and not recognizing people being open quickly enough. He doesn't have the concept yet of NFL open, imo

[Sperm Edwards]

 

I have a question for all you folks who keep harping on Geno holding the ball too long.  I'm not disputing that this is not a good thing to do, nor am I saying that Geno hasn't missed open receivers that has led to at least some of these occasions where he holds the ball too long.  That said, what exactly is he supposed to do if no receiver is open?  When they're passing the ball four out of five downs is he supposed to throw it away two or three of those downs?  That will lead to a lot of three and outs.  Is he supposed to run every time?  Geno's pretty fast, but he's not the runner RG3 is, he doesn't; have the size of a Cam Newton, plus that's never been a big part of his game, so his instincts are lacking there, and it would likely lead to his eventually getting injured if he runs too often.

 

Again, I'm not criticizing anyone for pointing out that he's holding the ball too long, but I would like to see some suggestions on what he can do/how he can avoid this other than the overly simple, just throw it away.

 

 

He's supposed to move or throw it away.  He did that in game 1 just fine.  He's just not processing everything that's going on fast enough, though this is entirely typical of a rookie QB.  I prefer it to someone who looks at his first option and then if that's not there, then throwing it away or forcing it in there.  With experience, that process-time will decrease (assuming he has the potential to be very good).  The danger - to me - isn't losing games as a rookie (as much as I don't like to see it).  The danger is him getting clobbered and getting Carr'd or depressed and emo over the losses/sacks/turnovers.  

 

Rookie QBs typically make mistakes.  Lots of them.  They're not fun to watch but you have to realize that every mistake is not indicative of a lack of potential.  We were just going over this with Demario Davis in the other thread.  PLENTY wrote him off last year ("...if he can't beat out Bart Scott..." etc.)

[JoeKlecko]

2. Smith stared down Clyde Gates the entire play -- a rookie mistake. Gates had a step on his man, CB Alfonzo Dennard. Against a single-high safety, there was a window for Smith, but he telegraphed it and threw a split-second too late. Dennard made a nice play, jumping the route.

 

So Smith was a split second late ....too bad they forgot to mention the ball hit Clyde Gates Directly on the chest and his hands were still no where in position to catch the football. Gates sucks, this was NOT Genos fault QB's do not throw every single pass perfectly when will this team have a WR who can go get the ball in traffic and make a play ?? Especially when it hits them in the chest.

 

1. Ferguson was beat

 

3. Jones was chipped by Holmes and beat Ferguson for the sack

 

Ferguson, another grossly overrated Jet. Guy had 1 may 2 good seasons the rest ? SUCK Usually giving up double digit sacks to which he is well on his way once again . He's not a good run blocker so someone please tell me WTF makes this guy get the praise he gets ?

 

This offense for the most part is in rebuild mode I would not mind it at all if this guy was sent packing if a real LT was on the draft board.

 

I agree with you that Ferguson is overrated by most Jets fans.  I've never thought he was a top-tier LT.  That said, I think there are several factors that are leading to the offense's struggles.

 

1.  Geno is a rookie.  He's done some really good things, shown some promise, but also made rookie mistakes of holding the ball too long, thinking too much, and locking onto receivers.  Hey, most of us new that he wasn't ready to start game 1.  I think he has pleasantly surprised most rational Jets fans.  These other factors have affected his accuracy.  That has never been a big problem for Geno, and I think it will improve as he gets more comfortable and experienced.

 

2.  The WRs probably just stink.  I'm not sure it's a lack of focus.  It may just be that they aren't that bright or that talented.  They are dropping too many passes when they get open and they don't come back to the ball to help Geno.  They may be running some wrong routes or not be on the same page with Geno yet.  Hopefully, this will improve as the season goes along.  If not, the Jets definitely need to draft a WR or two and/or sign some better FA WRs.

 

3.  The OL play has been inconsistent.  On one play or series they provide excellent protection for Geno and open up holes in the running game, then the next play or series, they're awful, no time for Geno and no holes for the RBs.  Again, hopefully, this will improve as the season goes along.  With the new rules eliminating two-a-days and limiting live hitting and tackling in practice to two days a week, this may be the new "normal" in the NFL.

 

4.  While Mornhinweg and his offense is obviously the best the Jets have had in a long time (if not ever), he needs to do more to help Geno.  Lee and he have done well with Geno in practice, but I think they can help Geno more in games by running the ball more, rolling him out more,maybe adding in a few designed runs a game, and more short, quick routes.  I may be wrong, but it seems like the overwhelming majority of the routes have been intermediate to somewhat long, yet very few (if any) long routes to help loosen up coverage underneath.  I think they need to add a coupe of long fly or post patterns a game.  I also think they need more slants, WR screens and similar short routes to help Geno find his rhythm and build confidence each game.

 

If all those things are done, I think we should see improvement, if improvement is possible with the players currently on the roster.  I think Geno will definitely improve. The WRs and OL I'm not so sure about, and I'm not very confident in Aboushi or Ijalana.