Jets News Thread Sept. 23rd 2015

[SoFlaJets]

 

Jets rewind: QB drama already over — ‘better without Geno’

By Brian Costello

September 22, 2015 | 11:45am

 

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The Jets pulled off a stunning 20-7 victory over the Colts on Monday night to improve to 2-0. Here are a few of my thoughts after the big win:

1. Barring an injury to Ryan Fitzpatrick, I don’t think we’re going to see Geno Smith starting this season. I have shifted my view on this after watching Fitzpatrick the last two weeks. He is not flashy, but does just enough to complement the ferocious Jets defense. If the Jets continue to play like they did Monday night, they will be tough to beat. Why would Todd Bowles turn back to Smith?

During the game, I received a text from an NFL coach: “The Jets are good, man. They are better without Geno.”

I have a feeling many around the league share this sentiment. Fitzpatrick did throw an interception, but it was deep in Colts territory and did not hurt the Jets. Would you like to see the offense take advantage of more opportunities? Yes. But in the end, they did enough to win the game.

I don’t think there will be any quarterback controversy when Smith returns.

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Geno Smith stretches at Jets practice on Sept. 17.Photo: Bill Kostroun

One other note on Smith: I was standing outside the Jets locker room when the game ended. One of the guys cheering the loudest and with the biggest smiles was Smith. He is not selfishly rooting for Fitzpatrick to struggle to regain his job.

2. It’s hard to remember the last time there was this kind of optimism around the Jets. 2011? You could feel it in talking to the players after the game. The dark days of 2014 are over. The offensive linemen were laughing on one side of the room. Players were kidding each other. There were high fives and handshakes.

Owner Woody Johnson stood outside the locker room and shook hands with each player and coach. When he saw Todd Bowles, he could barely contain himself. Johnson walked toward him, hand extended. “Whoa, Coach, how about that?” he said. It has been a while since the Jets — and in turn, their fans — have had reason to feel good. They should enjoy it.

 

Ryan Fitzpatrick gets cheered by Jets fans on Sept. 21 leaving the field at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium.

Of course, Bowles set the tone by reminding everyone this was just one game. The Rex Ryan culture of beating their chests after a big win is gone. The players were humble afterward and said they were turning their attention to this week’s opponent, the Eagles.

I saw GM Mike Maccagnan in a hallway heading to the bus after the game and congratulated him on the win. “Yeah, 14 more to go,” he said.

The message was clear: The Jets felt good about being 2-0, but no one was holding a celebration.

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Muhammad Wilkerson gets a hand on Andrew Luck during an active night for the 2016 free agent.Photo: AP

3. In a night of big performances, Muhammad Wilkerson’s night was a little lost. But Wilkerson had a huge game, further making his case he deserves to be paid big money. Wilkerson was in Luck’s face all night. According to Pro Football Focus, Wilkerson had two quarterback hits and six hurries. The website has him graded as their best 3-4 defensive end through two games, better than J.J. Watt. Wilkerson nearly had a blocked punt, too, and was so unblockable, he caused two holding penalties.

The Jets took a calculated risk by not signing Wilkerson before the season. If he keeps playing like this, the free agency price tag is going to continue to rise. They may be forced to apply the franchise tag to keep him. That would cost them around $16 million, a number that will really screw up their 2016 salary cap.

4. Here’s a scary thought: The Jets defense is playing lights out without one of its best players. Sheldon Richardson watched from home for the second straight week as he serves his four-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy. Imagine what this defense will look like with Richardson added to the mix.

The question is when that might be. The NFL is expected to suspend Richardson further for his July arrest in Missouri. No one knows when that suspension will come, though. They could tack it on to these four games, wait until later in the year or even next year.

Wilkerson, Damon Harrison and Leonard Williams have looked good in the first two games. With Richardson, this defensive line could be unstoppable.

Revealing number: The Jets had four first downs by penalty, more than they had by rushing (three). The amazing thing about the penalties was the Jets were forcing them. The Colts were called for defensive holding four times because they could not cover the Jets wide receivers.

Game ball: Lots of great performances, but how could you not go with Darrelle Revis? The all-world cornerback had three takeaways on his own, two fumble recoveries and an interception. He also shut down T.Y. Hilton for most of the game. Revis looked worth the $39 million guaranteed Monday night.

Surprising snap count: Brandon Marshall played all 69 offensive snaps. That is crazy for a wide receiver. Usually they go in and out of a game in different packages, but Marshall was out there the entire game. He is a workhorse receiver, who provided the highlight of the night when he dragged three Colts into the end zone with him.

[SoFlaJets]

Jets’ Eric Decker gets good news; door may open for Kerley

By Brian Costello

September 22, 2015 | 8:20pm

 

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Eric Decker hauls in one of his eight catches against the Colts on Monday night.Photo: UPI

The Jets continue to get good news on knee injuries.

An MRI exam confirmed wide receiver Eric Decker only suffered a sprained left knee in Monday night’s 20-7 win over the Colts and is “day-to-day.”

Coach Todd Bowles said he is unsure if Decker will play Sunday against the Eagles.

“I’m going to have to see how he’s doing later in the week,” Bowles said. “If he’s not moving well, obviously, he’s not going to play. Time will tell. He’s got a little bit of time. I’m hopeful, but it’s not out of the realm that he won’t play either.”

Decker had eight catches for 97 yards and a touchdown on Monday night before suffering the injury.

The Jets could be thin at receiver. Chris Owusu also suffered a leg injury in the game. Bowles told ESPN Radio that Owusu may be out for two weeks. Owusu had a large ice wrap on his knee after the game.

Rookie Devin Smith has yet to play as he recovers from broken ribs, but may need to be active this week. Smith practiced fully last week, but the Jets opted to keep him inactive.

“We didn’t want to throw Devin in as soon as he got back ready to practice,” Bowles said. “He’s got to get used to his pads. He’s got to get in shape. He’s got to learn some plays. There’s a process to go through rather than just throwing a guy out there.”

This could be an opening for Jeremy Kerley to get more playing time, too. Kerley played just one offensive snap Monday night, the second straight week he only had one.

“He hasn’t done anything (wrong),” Bowles said. “There are guys who are playing better and he got hurt and guys had opportunities.”

The Jets addressed the depth at wide receiver by signing Titus Davis, an undrafted rookie from Central Michigan, to the practice squad. They cut defensive end Jordan Williams to clear the roster spot. They worked out a number of receivers — including former Brown Terrelle Pryor and former Giant Corey Washington, according to a source.

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Football fans may be shocked the Jets are 2-0, but Bowles is not.

“I’m not surprised,” Bowles said. “I don’t want to be 0-2. I’m not surprised. We’ve been working hard. We’ve been grinding and as a team come together. It’s a process to get to where we want to be. We’re not there yet, but we’re making great strides. Nobody’s going to be good coming right off the top. We’re just going to keep building and keep going. That’s what we’re doing.”

[SoFlaJets]

Jets’ Fitzpatrick can thank the O-line for his clean jersey

A well-protected Ryan Fitzpatrick passes during the Jets' win Monday.

Hero

Darrelle Revis recovered a pair of Colts fumbles and picked off his first pass of the year. The second recovery helped the Jets stay in control as he done on a Frank Gore fumble at the 1-yard-line to ruin a long Colts drive to start the second half.

Zero

Andrew Luck, one of the game’s best young quarterbacks, looked like a journeyman swallowed up by the spotlight of Monday Night Football. Luck was picked off three times and completed just 21 of 37 passes for 250 yards against the vastly improved Jets’ secondary. Luck was sacked just once, but he was hurried and hit frequently, leading to errant throws and interceptions.

Unsung Heroes

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn’t sacked, hardly touched all evening and given plenty of time to throw by the Jets’ offensive line. While the Jets did struggle to run the ball early — they had just 21 yards on the ground in the first half — they finished with 101 yards and 3.9 yards per rush.

Key Stat

5: Turnovers forced for the second straight week by the Jets, who are already only three shy of their grand total of last season. They may surpass that number next week against the reeling Eagles and quarterback Sam Bradford.

Quote of the night

“He’s the best in the game at the corner position and he shows it every week.”

— Jets linebacker Calvin Pace on Darrelle Revis

[SoFlaJets]

Brandon Marshall may be unlocking the star in Eric Decker

By Zach Braziller

September 22, 2015 | 2:00am

 

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Eric Decker celebrates his touchdown on Monday night.

INDIANAPOLIS — Nobody was happier than Eric Decker when the Jets acquired Brandon Marshall.

Sure, the Jets wide receiver knew his time as the team’s No. 1 receiver was coming to an end, but he also figured playing alongside Marshall would benefit him.

Monday night was a perfect example.

Before leaving in the fourth quarter with what he expects to be a minor left knee injury, Decker enjoyed one of his better performances as a Jet, hauling in eight catches for 97 yards and a touchdown in Gang Green’s impressive 20-7 win over the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“That’s what you want,” Marshall said of the Jets’ dynamic receiving tandem. “You can go back to his days [in Denver] when it was Demaryius [Thomas] and himself. One week it was Demaryius, other week it was him.”

With the Colts worried about Marshall and stopping Chris Ivory and the Jets running game, Decker had a field day in the first half.

Decker created havoc for the defense, beating the Colts over the middle and with precise routes, abusing their backups as Vontae Davis typically was matched up with Marshall. Decker was wide open for a 6-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter over the middle, smoking Davis on a slant pattern and faced very little resistance on several of his other catches.

That wasn’t possible last year, when Decker drew constant double-teams, forced into being The Guy. This performance was more reminiscent of how well Decker fared in Denver playing next to Thomas, taking advantage of man-to-man coverage.

Decker was taken to the locker room midway through the fourth quarter after a long incomplete pass and will have an MRI exam Tuesday. But he doesn’t expect to be out long, and believes it is a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury.

“I don’t think it’s surgical, so I don’t think it’s too serious,” he said.

Decker did caution he won’t make the same mistake as he did last year, when he rushed back following a hamstring injury.

“I’m going to be smart about it this time around,” he said.

The Jets may have to wait a bit to get their two receivers over 100 yards in the same game. They came close on Monday.

“‘Deck’ couldn’t get an extra 3 yards to go over 100?” Marshall asked jokingly. “Got to get on him about that.”

Marshall took over in the fourth quarter, the new Jet hauling in a 15-yard touchdown pass with 6:20 left for a 17-7 lead. Marshall made four of his seven catches after halftime, and finished with 101 yards receiving.

The 28-year-old Decker inked a five-year, $36.25 million deal with the Jets in March 2014. His first season was rocky, a 4-12 campaign that saw him make 74 catches for 962 yards and five touchdowns. He may not catch the same number of passes or amass nearly as many yards, but the Jets already have won half as many games as last year — the most important stat of all.