ESPN: JETS MIDSEASON AWARD

[DRJETS]

Midseason Report: Give 'em a B

October, 29, 2013

Oct 29

3:50

PM ET

By Rich Cimini | ESPN.com

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The Cincinnati debacle notwithstanding, the New York Jets have exceeded expectations with a 4-4 record. Some so-called experts didn't think they'd win four games for the entire season. You know who you are.

Before the season, I spoke to several personnel experts, and the consensus was that it was a six-win roster. A former Jets player, someone who understands the pulse of the team, told me in the preseason, "They're going to be terrible."

 

They were terrible in Cincinnati and in Tennessee, but the Jets aren't a terrible team. Despite having only one or two blue-chip players, DE Muhammad Wilkerson and maybe C Nick Mangold, they've managed to hang around in the wild-card race. Rex Ryan and his staff have done a nice job of coaching around the obvious deficiencies and a rookie quarterback. Sure, they've benefited from a couple of huge breaks (the Lavonte David late hit and the Chris Jones push), but at least they were good enough to capitalize on them.

Without further delay, our midseason awards:

 

Offensive MVP: QB Geno Smith. Not much competition here. Yeah, I know, he cost them a couple of games with turnovers, but he also won games with his deep-throwing ability (Buffalo Bills), poise in the clutch (Atlanta Falcons) and mobility (New England Patriots).

Defensive MVP: DE Muhammad Wilkerson. A no-brainer. He already has a career-high seven sacks, along with one interception and one forced fumble. He's a lock for his first Pro Bowl. If he keeps it up, he could get some votes for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Special-teams MVP: PK Nick Folk. You can't quibble with perfection. The man is 19-for-19 on field goals, including three game winners. Next to Wilkerson, he's the team MVP.

Most Improved: RB Bilal Powell. He began training camp as an afterthought, but he worked his way up to the starting job. He has become a more elusive runner than in past years.

Least Improved: NT Kenrick Ellis. He was expected to make a big jump in Year 3, but he was slowed by a preseason back injury and hasn't come close to being a dominant run stuffer.

Biggest Surprise: NT Damon Harrison. "Big Snacks" came out of nowhere last year and Wally-Pipped Ellis in the preseason. Harrison is one of the reasons why the Jets are No. 1 against the run.

Biggest Disappointment: CB Antonio Cromartie. Coming off a Pro Bowl season, Cromartie already has allowed five completions of at least 46 yards. His uneven play has made it harder for the defense to deal with the Darrelle Revis void.

 

Best Rookie: DT Sheldon Richardson. If it weren't for him, GM John Idzik would be taking major heat for the Revis trade. Richardson, acquired with the Revis pick (No. 13 overall), is a future star.

Best Offseason Acquisition: RG Willie Colon. Plagued by injuries in recent years, Colon hasn't missed a play and has added an element of toughness to the offensive line.

Worst Offseason Acquisition: RB Mike Goodson. Because of his embarrassing arrest and the subsequent suspension, he was a disaster before he stepped foot on the field. Maybe next time the front office will put more stock in its background checks.

Best-kept Secret: CB Ellis Lankster. He's not the leading tackler on special teams (he's second, behind Nick Bellore), but Lankster is the most dynamic player on the coverage units.

Best Coaching Move: Ryan decided before the season to take control of the defense, running it on a day-to-day basis. Ryan is at his best -- ditto, the defense -- when he's in charge.

Worst Coaching Move: The decision to insert Mark Sanchez in the fourth quarter of a preseason game, behind a backup offensive line, was a brainlock for the ages.

Biggest Concern: There's not enough offense. In their four losses, the Jets have managed only two touchdowns. They have to face four top-12 defenses in the second half. Uh oh.

Key to the Second Half: Continued improvement from Smith. His passer rating in Games 5-8 (75.2) was better than Games 1-4 (68.6), meaning he's moving in the right direction, albeit with baby steps. The struggling pass defense is another key, but luckily for the Jets, they face only one top-10 passing offense -- Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

The Jets will make the playoffs if: They win at least five of their remaining eight. Take a look at the AFC standings; a 9-7 record could be good enough for the second wild-card spot.

Player Ready to Emerge: RB Chris Ivory. He showed flashes against the Patriots. With the weather beginning to turn, Ivory's power-running style will be critical down the stretch.

[CrazyCarl40]

I agree with most of this, but he sure won't let that Sanchez in the preseason die. It happened. Moved on, scorned lover.

 

Also, I don't think 9-7 will get a playoff spot. Not this season.

[Matt39]

I agree with most of this, but he sure won't let that Sanchez in the preseason die. It happened. Moved on, scorned lover.

 

Also, I don't think 9-7 will get a playoff spot. Not this season.

 

I expect the Ravens to make a decent push. Two teams will come out of the west obviously. Jets Ravens will be a huge game. Maybe Rex can actually figure out his old team for once.

[Bob Robbins]

"Jets will make the playoffs if they win 5 more games" - wow, what insight. I guess we have to wait until the end of season report for him to tell us how we win those 5 games.

[KSJets]

I like how he said Kenrick Ellis is the least improved player, and then mentions he's been injured and Harrison has leaped over him on the depth chart.  Doesn't mean he sucks, but Snacks has been playing awesome.  Whenever Ellis has been in there he's been pretty good, a lot better than last year.  Considering Cimini called him a druggie when he was drafted, I'm not surprised he's still down on him.

[BurnleyJet]

Worst coaching move playing Sanchez 4th Qtr against the Giants! - It's a total Drew Bledsoe moment..

[flgreen]

Think the best coaching move has been hiring MM.  Even though the O is struggling mightily,  think Marty has been getting the best out of what he has talent wise

[flgreen]

NY Jets Midseason Report Card: Geno Smith keeps developing, Bilal Powell and Muhammed Wilkerson shine Offensive and defensive lines have carried Gang Green to respectability through first half of the season. Comments (25) BY SETH WALDER / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2013, 1:08 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ANDY LYONS/GETTY IMAGES  

Bilal Powell is the Jets offensive MVP of the first half, which speaks largely to the effectiveness of Gang Green's offensive line opening running lanes.

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Anyone who hibernated through the first eight weeks of the season would probably do a quadruple-take at the standings. The Jets are the best team in New York? Yes — even though that’s a low bar to clear.

 

Gang Green entered the season with the lowest expectations it has had under Rex Ryan, with a rookie quarterback, a freshman GM and a host of young and new players. There have been some flukey plays in their favor (see: Lavonte, David) and a few too many Geno Smith picks, but by and large this is at the very least a better team than most anticipated.

 

The important long-term questions are still to be decided. Is Smith the franchise quarterback? Will Ryan be back for a sixth year as head coach? Both have put themselves in position to stick around, but the final eight games will be the true measuring stick. Smith needs to show he can cut out the mistakes. If Ryan can get the team to 8-8 it would probably go a long way with regard to his job security. Halfway through the season, here are the Jets’ grades:

 

QUARTERBACKS: C

 

If we were measuring him as a rookie, he’d earn a better grade, but this is the NFL and Geno Smith is competing with the Peyton Mannings and Tom Bradys of the the world. He won the Atlanta game and has shown some good instincts in the clutch, but the errors have outweighed the positives. If he cut out the mistakes, he’d be looking great, but then again, everyone said that about Mark Sanchez for years.

 

RUNNING BACKS: C+

 

Winning the offensive MVP at this point isn’t all that impressive of an honor, but nonetheless Bilal Powell deserves some credit for being the team’s most reliable skill-position player. He strung together a few nice games in a row and adds value as a pass protector and receiver. Chris Ivory flashed some power running ability against the Patriots in Week 7, but his health will probably prevent him from being an every-down back. The Jets are averaging four yards per carry, but that’s inflated by Geno Smith’s 5.1 average.

 

WIDE RECEIVERS: C

 

 

The Jets’ wide receivers were never the most capable bunch, but throw in some injuries and things have been especially difficult. Only Stephen Hill has played in every game, and that is only on a technicality: he was knocked out in Tennessee on the Jets’ first pass attempt of the day. Santonio Holmes has caught only 10 passes after returning from his foot injury and then hurting his hamstring. Jeremy Kerley has been the team’s most consistent performer and David Nelson has come on lately, but this group needs to step up in the second half.

 

TIGHT ENDS: B-

 

Jeff Cumberland (15-248-2) is emerging as a nice option for Geno Smith and ought to be a bigger part of the offense as the season goes on. Remember: Cumberland wasn’t even targeted in the team’s first two games as Kellen Winslow was the No. 1 tight end. Even before Winslow was suspended for four games for violating the performance-enhancing substances policy, Cumberland was coming on.

 

ANDY LYONS/GETTY IMAGES Rookie QB Geno Smith is not a disaster, but he does experience growing pains.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B

 

 

Yes, Geno Smith has been sacked 28 times, the second most in the league, but a good number of those have been on him. Smith holds the ball too long, and as a result, he takes some sacks that aren’t the line’s fault. D’Brickashaw Ferguson hasn’t been playing at a Pro Bowl level and it’s been a rocky beginning for rookie LG Brian Winters. Austin Howard has made significant strides at right tackle.

 

DEFENSIVE LINE: A

Far and away the best part of the team is the D-line. Muhammad Wilkerson (seven sacks) has turned himself into one of the best defensive linemen in the league and is part of a run-stuffing crew that is ranked first in the NFL. Second-year man Damon (Snacks) Harrison, an undrafted free agent, has been valuable against the run. The Jets rank third in the league in sacks, and could probably be even better if the secondary lent them a hand in coverage now and again.

LINEBACKERS: B+

 

 

The linebackers deserve some credit for the run-stopping abilities, too. When the Jets line up in their base defense, they rely on the linebackers to seal the edge against the run, and that has been done effectively. They still leave something to be desired in coverage, and Quinton Coples hasn’t made the transition to a hybrid OLB/DE as quickly as the team hoped.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: C-

The secondary is a giant blemish on what is otherwise an excellent defense. It starts with Antonio Cromartie, who has fallen far behind his 2012 performance, leaving Jets fans dreaming of the days of Darrelle Revis. Ninth overall pick Dee Milliner has been a bust: He has only played in five games, and been benched in two of them. Between his injuries, mental errors and shaky performance, there is nothing to like about what the rookie has done.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

 

Nick Folk has been outstanding in making 19 of 19 field goal tries. He has allowed Ryan to break out his favorite phrase, “Folk hero,” three times after game-winning field goals. Recent addition Josh Cribbs is a major upgrade from Clyde Gates in the return game, and ought to improve what was a lackluster part of the special teams. On coverage, the Jets haven’t been great, allowing opponents to have above average kick and punt return numbers.

 

COACHES: B+

AL PEREIRA/GETTY IMAGES Muhammed Wilkerson brings down Phillip Rivers in what is a great first half for the Jets lineman.

Rex Ryan has to be given a good amount of credit for a 4-4 start. Going into the season, Gang Green fans would have been thrilled to find out the team would split with the Patriots and beat the Falcons. Have there been in-game mistakes? Sure, like when Ryan blew through his challenges against Buffalo, eventually costing his team a turnover. The alternating win-loss record doesn’t look good on paper, but it’s hard to argue against giving Ryan his due for four wins with this roster.

FRONT OFFICE: C

 

 

Give Jets management credit for Sheldon Richardson, a Defensive Rookie of the Year Candidate, and for Geno Smith, who has shown promise as a second-round pick. But at the same time, Dee Milliner has been so disappointing that it hurts the overall analysis of the 2013 draft. Of the free agents John Idzik signed, only Willie Colon and Dawan Landry have made it to this point in the season, and neither has been particularly impressive

 

3 REASONS TO HOPE

 

1. Geno Smith’s potential. It’s too early to tell if he’s the answer, but at least he could be.

 

2. The run defense. It’s so good that it will keep the Jets in close games. Smith doesn’t have to be perfect with this type of defense.

 

3. The AFC playoff picture. Even though the Chiefs or Broncos will account for one wild card spot, the other is up for grabs. The Jets would have to beat out the Chargers, Ravens and Dolphins, none of whom look dominant

 

3 REASONS TO WORRY

 

1. The secondary. It was burned so badly last week by the Bengals that every team is likely to come out firing.

 

2. The turnovers. Smith has to hold on to the ball better or the Jets are toast.

 

 

3. Point differential. The Jets have won four games by a combined 13 points, and lost four games by a total of 81. That’s a bad omen.

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-midseason-report-cards-geno-develops-gang-holds-line-article-1.1502334#ixzz2jJjcpa97

[Beaver]

I stopped reading right here:

 

QUARTERBACKS: C

 

If we were measuring him as a rookie, he’d earn a better grade, but this is the NFL and Geno Smith is competing with the Peyton Mannings and Tom Bradys of the the world.