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stumbling, bumbling & regressing ...


kelly

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-- Three years after the Butt Fumble, Rex Ryan almost was victimized by the Punt Fumble. His punter dropped the snap -- shades of the recent Michigan debacle -- and his old team recovered, a mere 13 yards from a potential game-winning touchdown. It was an early Christmas gift, but the New York Jets self-destructed because Ryan Fitzpatrick and Todd Bowles made bad decisions in the crucible of Rex Bowl I on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium.

This loss -- 22-17 to the Buffalo Bills -- will haunt the Jets for the remainder of the season. It was crushing on so many levels. Obviously, they didn't want to lose to Ryan, but that sting will subside. What they can't erase is the impact on the AFC East standings. The Jets, stuck in a 1-3 funk, dropped to 5-4, tied with the Bills for second place. It changes the complexion of a once-promising season. The Jets are regressing and falling, and that's troubling. Say goodbye to the feel-good Jets.

How they lost ... well, it was disturbing because they committed four turnovers and failed to execute basic plays in crunch time. They blew a chance to stage a come-from-behind victory that could've provided weeks of momentum.

"It's tough," Fitzpatrick said. "I mean, we had a million chances in the second half."

Fitzpatrick, known for his smarts, made several poor decisions at the line of scrimmage, including an ill-advised audible after the Bills' dropped punt. On a third-and-3 from the 6-yard line, Fitzpatrick checked to a quick pass to Eric Decker, who was tackled immediately for a 1-yard loss. He made a similar decision early in the fourth quarter, changing to a quick hitch to Brandon Marshall on a fourth-and-2 -- and that, too, backfired.

"I made a lot of mistakes and that was one of them," Fitzpatrick said of the Decker play. "I thought the DB would play a little softer; he did not. But that was 100 percent my call there."

At that point, the Jets should've kicked the field goal to make it 22-20. They had three timeouts left, and there were three minutes left in the game. The defense was on fire, having recorded four straight three-and-outs. Bowles should've put the game in the hands of his defense, but he decided to go for it on fourth-and-4 -- hardly a high-percentage play."I don't know if we would've gotten the ball back," Bowles explained. "We would've had to use our timeouts and there would've been very little time for us to get the ball and mount a drive. We thought we could win it there."It was a bad choice. It became a really bad choice when they decided to throw to tight end Kellen Davis on a corner route -- the same Davis who entered the game with one reception. The execution was comically poor. Davis lumbered into the end zone and never saw the pass, which sailed over his head. Afterward, he explained that he got jammed at the line, bumped into Decker and got re-routed. This is what happens when you throw to a blocking tight end with the game on the line.

"I didn't see the ball until it was past me," Davis said.

The Bills' coaches were stunned -- and relieved -- that Fitzpatrick threw to Davis and not Marshall or Decker. The feared Decker; they had been doubling him in the red zone and he still was making plays. Fitzpatrick refused to second-guess himself for throwing to a guy who has only four receptions in the last three seasons. He wasn't about to throw Davis under the bus, but the play should've had better options."I mean, he's a professional football player," Fitzpatrick said of Davis. "They doubled our best guys. ... That's one I'd love to throw to Brandon, I'd love to throw to Deck. It was the wise decision, with them doubling those guys. I don't regret the read at all."

The Jets, who almost rallied from a 22-3 deficit, had a chance to steal a huge win. It was right there, but the two most important people on the team -- quarterback and coach -- failed to deliver. Fitzpatrick admitted he lacked "mental clarity" in the game, perhaps because he's been spooked by Ryan-coached defenses throughout his career. Truth be told, the entire team lacked mental clarity. Maybe they had Rex on the brain.

"There's just a bad taste in my mouth right now," Darrelle Revis said.

The Jets need some mouthwash. A lot of it.

>   http://espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/56105/jets-are-stumbling-bumbling-and-regressing-fading-out-of-race

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-- The New York Jets hit the low point of the Todd Bowles era, an embarrassing 22-17 loss Thursday night to the Buffalo Bills. They hurt their playoff chances with their old coach in the building, and that was tough to take. They let Rex Ryan get the last laugh, as they committed four turnovers, failed on two fourth-down conversions, dropped key passes and came unglued with a chance to pull out a dramatic win.

The only thing that could have made it worse for the Jets was seeing IK Enemkpali record a quarterback sack.

The Jets fall to 5-4, including 1-2 in the AFC East. This was a sloppy, inexcusable performance. They made two turnovers in a span of 1:37 in the first half and gave up a touchdown on special teams, handing 13 points to the Bills (5-4). Worse, there were several questionable coaching decisions by Todd Bowles, especially in the fourth quarter.

Ryan Fitzpatrick got hot after a slow start, but the offense -- especially the passing attack -- was out of sync. Fitzpatrick made a few bad decisions and threw two interceptions, costing the Jets a victory. This was a bad, emotional loss for the Jets, who haven't played a good game in more than a month.

What were they thinking? The Jets picked an odd time to give rookie Devin Smith his first shot as a kickoff returner. Smith, who returned only a handful of kickoffs at Ohio State, was inserted in the second quarter and promptly fumbled his first attempt. It was returned 19 yards for a touchdown, putting the Jets in a 9-3 hole. They should've stuck with Zac Stacy. He's not explosive, but he's dependable. The Jets got greedy and took a chance, hoping the speedy but woefully inexperienced Smith could break a long one. It backfired. It was the third touchdown this season allowed by the special teams, which continues to hurt the team.

One reason to get excited: One of the Jets' top objectives was containing Tyrod Taylor in the pocket. Mission accomplished. They held him to 12 rushing yards and sacked him four times. They unveiled a new wrinkle on defense, using Sheldon Richardson as an outside linebacker in 3-4 looks. Quinton Coples has really slipped on the depth chart. For the most part, the Jets played well on defense. Darrelle Revis did a terrific job on Sammy Watkins (three catches for 14 yards). The one bad play was Demario Davis getting torched by Karlos Williams on a 26-yard touchdown reception. Davis continues to struggle in space against running backs.

One reason to panic: The offensive play calling was questionable, especially on two fourth-down plays in the fourth quarter. Early on, they were stopped on a behind-the-line pass to Brandon Marshall on fourth-and-2. With three minutes left, on a fourth-and-4, they threw an end zone pass to seldom-used tight end Kellen Davis, who didn't see it coming. Down five with three timeouts left, they should have taken the field goal. That was the first mistake. Then a pass to Davis? Ridiculous.

Silver lining: Chris Ivory enjoyed his most productive game in a month, finishing with 99 yards on 18 carries. Minus right guard Willie Colon, the offensive line opened holes against a solid front. Ivory displayed more burst than in recent weeks, which bodes well for the coming weeks.

Fantasy: Marshall and Eric Decker scored a touchdown apiece, but it wasn't a great night for either player. They both were guilty of costly drops.

Ouch: Stacy, reinserted as the kickoff returner after Smith's killer fumble, was carted off with an ankle injury on a return at the end of the first half. He didn't return.

Game ball: Muhammad Wilkerson recorded two sacks, his sixth and seventh, displaying nice open-field tackling in the backfield. It was his best game of the season.

>      http://espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/56083/sloppy-mistake-prone-jets-fall-hard-to-rex-ryan

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On the two biggest plays of the season, the New York Jetsresembled the Keystone Cops, bumping into each other, not knowing where to go. It was an embarrassing display of ineptitude that can be blamed on coaching and lack of awareness by the players involved.

"We have to play better situational football," Todd Bowles said after the 22-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.

Understatement of the year. A closer look at the plays, following our film review:

Third-and-3 from the Bills' 6 (3:47 left in the game)

What happened: The Jets lost a yard on a completion to Eric Decker, who was lined up in a bunch formation to the right. They tried to run a pick play, with Jeff Cumberland picking Decker's man. As it turned out, Cumberland bumped into Decker. As soon as the play was over, Decker, clearly upset, exchanged words with Cumberland. Later, Decker said it should've been a walk-in touchdown. In case you're wondering, Brandon Marshall was doubled on the back side.

What went wrong: Bowles, down by five points, said he was in touchdown-or-bust mode. He wasn't thinking about a field goal even though he had three timeouts remaining. Why not run the ball, knowing you're in four-down territory? It's quite possible that a run was called by offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said he changed the play, claiming, "That was 100 percent my call there." He probably audibled out of a run because the Bills were in their base personnel against the Jets' three-receiver package -- only two corners vs. three wide receivers. The situation screamed "pass," so Fitzpatrick did. Whether the called the right pass is the question. Obviously, Decker and Cumberland contributed to the mess with a miscommunication.

Fourth-and-4 from the Bills' 7 (3:02)

What happened: Fitzpatrick threw an incomplete pass over the head of Kellen Davis, who acted like he had no idea the ball was coming to him. He turned too late as the lofted pass sailed over his head. Again, there was contact between two Jets -- Davis and Decker. It was another pick play, another miscommunication. And, yes, Marshall was doubled again, this time in the left slot.

What went wrong: The Jets were in the same personnel grouping as third down, except they replaced Cumberland with Davis -- a curious choice. Davis has played eight years in the NFL and he has scored only six times on passes inside the 8-yard line, including a 1-yard catch two weeks ago with Geno Smith at quarterback -- a different route, by the way. This time, he ran a sloppy corner route. The Bills stayed in their base defense, daring the Jets to throw. Fitzpatrick is being unfairly criticized; he had no place else to throw it. This one's on Gailey for the call and Davis and Decker for bungling the execution."I got held up a little," Davis said. "The guy jammed me on the release. Me and Deck bumped into each other. I wasn't able to get out there as fast as I wanted to. I didn't see the ball until it was already past me."

One Bills coach said he was stunned the Jets didn't throw to Decker in that situation; he had been hurting them in the slot. Yep, the Bills were stunned and relieved. The Jets were dazed and confused.

>     http://espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/56119/an-inside-look-at-how-the-jets-bungled-a-potential-game-winning-td

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Chan Gailey sucks I was sitting in that end zone last night and we were stunned that Davis was even on the field let alone Fitz threw to hiim. 

Fitz threw to him and he was wide open so I'm not pinning that on Gailey.  He did his job.  He called the right play against the right defense and the quarterback made the right throw.

When Geno threw a TD to Davis against the Raiders all the Geno fans went crazy.  Fitz throws him a pass and he doesn't bother to locate the ball and it's Gailey's fault?  C'mon.

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Going for it on 4th at that point didnt matter because the jets gave up a 1st down after that.  If they didnt stop them then, y would they of stopped them just cause they made a fg?

I thought the Jets got the ball back.

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Rich CiminiESPN Staff Writer 

Takeaways from Todd Bowles' day-after presser: Ryan Fitzpatrick (thumb), Zac Stacy (ankle) had surgery this morning. The Jets expect Fitzpatrick to be ready for the next game; Stacy is done for the year. Bowles addressed late-game "mix ups" in the team meeting. He also defended a few questionable decisions in the game. Despite a 1-3 funk, he insisted the team isn't regressing. If that's not regressing, what is  ?

>     http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/newyork-jets

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For five games, Todd Bowles made this coaching thing look easy. The New York Jets were 4-1, one of the surprises in the NFL. He was pushing all the right buttons, on and off the field, but there was one situation that hadn't presented itself -- managing a close game in the fourth quarter.

A few weeks later, a picture is starting to emerge. It's not flattering.

There have been a few questionable decisions over the last few games, but let's cut to the chase: On Thursday night, he may have cost his team a win by mismanaging the final 20 minutes in the 22-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills. There was the two-point conversion he didn't try in the third quarter, along with two failed fourth-down plays in the fourth.

The decisions provide great fodder for talk-show debate -- we could go back and forth -- but the facts can't be disputed: The Jets reached scoring territory three times in the fourth quarter and came away with only seven points. They left at least six points on the field. They lost the game by five. Do the math."They're mistakes if they don't work and you're a genius if they do work," Bowles said Friday. "The ones that don't, I don't look at them as mistakes. I look at them as learning experiences. They don't work out all the time. Sometimes it's not in the cards."

Bowles is a first-year coach, so you can't expect him to be Bill Belichick on the sideline. For the most part, I think Bowles is doing a good job, but the Jets are 1-3 in games decided by seven points or less. He'll have to flip that if they want to stay in playoff contention.The first questionable decision came after Brandon Marshall's touchdown with 4:39 remaining in the third quarter. Down 22-9, Bowles opted to kick the extra point instead of trying a two-point conversion. A successful two-point conversion would've made it 22-11 -- a two-possession game. The NFL success rate is 50.9 percent. The standard two-point conversion chart says to kick the PAT when trailing by 13 points, although there's a more sophisticated chart that factors time remaining into the probability. That chart says he should've gone for two.

"We knew we needed two scores to win anyway, so it didn't make a difference," Bowles said.

Bowles adhered to conventional wisdom, meaning no two-point tries until the fourth quarter. He was in a point-gathering mode, taking a 22-10 deficit into the fourth quarter. If that's the way you're going to play, he should've taken a 38-yard field goal instead of trying a fourth-and-2 early in the fourth quarter -- which backfired. A field goal would've made it 22-13, which would've become 22-20 when Eric Decker scored with 7:20 on the clock.Now you're in a field-goal game, and that would've been huge when the Jets recovered the botched punt snap at the Bills' 13 with 5:12 to play. They would've been in position for a potential game-winning field goal, perhaps a touchdown. They would've been in control. Instead, they were down by five, approaching the possession with a touchdown-or-bust mentality. That led to another mistake.

With three timeouts and the two-minute warning, Bowles should've kicked the field goal and put the game in the hands of his defense. We all know what happened -- the ill-fated pass to Kellen Davis on fourth down."We were going for the win," Bowles said. "We had the momentum and we were going for it. We weren't exactly moving the ball offensively with a great amount of success to go the whole field to try to get a touchdown or field goal to win the ball game. So my thought was to get it there.

The offense marched 69 yards for a touchdown on the previous possession, so I'm not sure why he'd say they hadn't been moving the ball.No doubt, there were many reasons for the loss, including a minus-4 turnover margin, but Bowles missed a chance to close out what would've been a terrific comeback. Again: Three scoring chances in the fourth quarter, only seven points.

A crushing loss.

>      http://espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/56141/struggling-jets-have-a-lot-to-work-on-and-it-starts-with-the-coach

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After starting the season with a 4-1 record, the Jets have lost three of four. Despite a gritty second half effort Thursday, the Green & White were left with a bad taste in their mouths after a frustrating 22-17 loss to the Bills at MetLife Stadium.“There’s a greater sense of urgency after each loss,” head coach Todd Bowles said Friday during a conference call with reporters. “It’s a matter of correcting mistakes and situational football, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

The Jets overcame a bunch of mistakes to nearly complete a rally from a 19-point deficit against the Bills. And they appeared poised to take the lead after a mishandled snap by Bills P Colton Schmidt gave the Jets a 1st down at the Buffalo 13 with 5:12 remaining. But the Jets only moved six yards in three plays and Bowles opted for the lead instead of a chip shot field goal that could have left his team down two points with all three timeouts remaining and approximately three minutes remaining.

“We had momentum, we were going for it,” he said today. “We weren’t exactly moving the ball offensively with a great amount of success to go a whole field to try to get a field goal or touchdown to win the ball game. My thought was the best opportunity to try and get it was there.”

After a pair of Chris Ivoryicon-article-link.gif runs totaled seven yards on the possession, Ryan Fitzpatrickicon-article-link.gif threw short a short pass to Eric Deckericon-article-link.gif that was snuffed out by the Bills.“It was a scheme thing. It was a couple people that messed that up and we addressed that in the meeting this morning,” Bowles said. “It was a lot of mix-ups and a bunch of routes at the end of game and execution.”

Then on 4th down, the Jets motioned Decker to the slot as he lined up outside TE Kellen Davisicon-article-link.gif. Decker crossed in front of Davis, but then changed directions back where he and Davis shared the same space. Fitzpatrick lofted a ball in the end zone that went over the head of Davis and the Bills took over on downs.

“It just wasn’t a play for Kellen Davis,” Bowels said. “Again we addressed it in our meeting and it was a mix-up there.”

While Bowles addressed the miscues with his players, he refused to call out any individuals publicly.“We know what went wrong,” he said. “I’m not going to sit here and put anybody under the bus, but we understand what exactly went wrong and we addressed it.”After any loss in the NFL, every head coach is second-guessed and Bowles knows that is just the nature of the business.“They’re mistakes if they don’t work. You’re a genius if they do work,” he said. “Ones that worked were good. Ones that don’t – I don’t look at them as mistakes. You look at them as either learning experiences or it just didn’t work out that time. Sometimes it’s not in the cards.”

Fitzpatrick, who has completed 59.7% of his passes this season with 15 TD and 9 INT, underwent surgery today to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb. While the veteran signal caller is expected to start next week vs. the Texans, RB Zac Stacyicon-article-link.gif underwent season-ending ankle surgery Friday. All players are scheduled to have the weekend off before returning to work on Monday.“I don’t know if we regressed,” Bowles said. “I mean, we had a lot more success early on and the stats looked good and everything, but I’m not a stat guy. We have to get better every week, and I don’t think we’ve gotten better in certain areas, and different areas let us down each week.”

>       http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-7/Urgency-Grows-for-Jets/7f9ac2dd-14cd-457d-9b3f-c46b71d1d31f

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George R.R. Martin, the Bayonne-born author of the "Game of Thrones" book series, is a wildly famous person. Which is why we are writing about him here. 

He's also a passionate Jets and Giants fan, just like a lot of you. 

Yes, he claims to be a fan of both teams.

Feel free to yell at him — and not us — about that. He'll probably consider it a reprieve from all those incessant questions about what's going to happen in the next season of the HBO hit show inspired by his books. 

Anyway, Martin has a blog on which he's sometimes ranted about the Jets. (Martin was even a guest at Jets training camp this summer. He hung out with general manager Mike Maccagnan, who is a big fan of Martin's books.) We hadn't previously noticed any Giants-related ranting on Martin's blog. But on Monday, he ripped both the Jets and Giants, in the aftermath of their losses to the Bills and Patriots, respectively. The gist of Martin's sentiments is reflected in one of his blog post's final lines: "I am not feeling good about the chances of either time going forward." 

(We think he meant "team," not "time.") 

Anyway, here is a whole lot more of Martin on the Jets and Giants, with a hilariously over-the-top ending:

When you take a step back and consider the issue logically, the degree to which the fortunes of our teams can affect a true sports fan is almost inexplicable. Yet it is also undeniable. After all, the teams we choose to root for are not OUR teams in any meaningful sense. The relationships are all one way, and entirely voluntary (false fans hop from one bandwagon to another all the time). A loss by one of my teams does me no real harm; a victory does me no real good.

And yet, and yet... some of the greatest highs of my life have come courtesy of the New York Mets, the New York Giants, and (a long time ago, in an era far far away) the New York Jets. And losses by those same teams have been known to send me deep into the slough of despond. Truth be told, a really bad loss by one of my teams has been known to depress me far more than some of the times I've lost a Hugo, a Nebula, or an Emmy. I've learned to shrug off my own defeats in life... but when Big Blue or the Amazin's or Gang Green do down, well...

Thursday night was a punch in the gut. Yesterday afternoon was another.

A loss for the Jets, a loss for the Giants. But not just any losses. BAD losses. The kind that really hurt. My guys should have won both games.

The victories were right there for the taking. So close I could taste them. But no, instead I had to choke down bitter defeats. What's worse, both teams lost the games in THE SAME WAY, with truly inexplicable play-calling when the game was on the line. Deep inside the opponents' territory, the goal line just a few feet ahead, the clock running down... all the Jets needed to do, all the G-Men needed to do, was RUN RUN RUN the ball, wind down the clock, make the opponent burn his final timeouts, then kick the winning field goal or score the winning touchdown.

Instead both the Jets and Giants chose to pass, pass, pass. Incompletions stopped the clock. The Jets did not manage to score at all, the Giants settled for a FG and a lead but left too much time for Tom Brady.

I guess they couldn't hear me screaming at my TV set.

Life is miserable and full of pain.

Jeez. Easy there, George. Remember, the Jets are still 5-4, and the Giants are 5-5. Both teams have a decent chance of making the playoffs.

In the meantime, go roll around in a pile of your money, and maybe you'll feel better. (Or just tell us what's going to happen next season.) 

>       http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/11/game_of_thrones_creator_george_rr_martin_slams_jet.html#incart_river_index

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Going for it on 4th at that point didnt matter because the jets gave up a 1st down after that.  If they didnt stop them then, y would they of stopped them just cause they made a fg?

It does matter because it shows a lack of faith by the head coach for his defenses ability to get the ball back. Which they did, despite a Buffalo first down. In a number of ways - including execution and the decision to throw to a lumbering TE - it was the wrong play. We both know if Parcells is coaching they kick the FG. As a HC you always want to avoid the 'second guessers' like me, and if he kicked the FG and the Jets lost by two, oh well, he went by the book. I could live with that much better than his comment of "I didn't know if we would get the ball back." Slap in the face to a defense that was playing lights out to that point.

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What happened: The Jets lost a yard on a completion to Eric Decker, who was lined up in a bunch formation to the right. They tried to run a pick play, with Jeff Cumberland picking Decker's man. As it turned out, Cumberland bumped into Decker. As soon as the play was over, Decker, clearly upset, exchanged words with Cumberland. Later, Decker said it should've been a walk-in touchdown. In case you're wondering, Brandon Marshall was doubled on the back side.

>     http://espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/56119/an-inside-look-at-how-the-jets-bungled-a-potential-game-winning-td

Guess we know why Davis was on the field. 

Reading the "What went wrong"  sections I think you have to give Rex and the Bills some credit.  They disrupted the pick plays and fooled Harvard into thinking off coverage would lead to easy walks for a first down.  Out played/smarted.  If the CB is going to play off and storm up to stop the first you should be able to run a fake or hitch and go easily.  Much lower percentage, but I think you get a lot of penalties on those for pulling/defensive holding.  A much better choice on third where you plan to try again on 4th.

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Is the Jets' season slipping away  ?

Todd Bowles' rookie head-coaching campaign began in promising fashion: a 4-1 start that included wins in Indianapolis and London. But the bloom is off the proverbial rose and the Jets, now 5-4, are facing their toughest stretch of adversity.

Losses are piling up, injuries are mounting and fans are frustrated. But despite it all, there is a silver lining: Thanks to a watered-down AFC this year, the Jets are in the thick of the wild-card hunt with Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Oakland and Houston.The next month and a half will speak volumes about the Jets' talent and mental toughness.

Here are six keys to success that could turn them into a playoff contender in the next seven games:

PLAY LIKE YOU MEAN IT

How many times have we heard players say some version of: "We just came out flat" or "We can't keep making the same mistakes"? For whatever reason, the Jets have struggled to start fast on offense and have failed to prevent big plays when on defense. Do they have an intensity issue? Is it a question of talent? Or do they just not know how to consistently put teams away? It's anyone's guess what's plaguing them, but it's Bowles' job to figure it out and fix it.

KEEP FEEDING CHRIS IVORY

Chan Gailey knows what the deal is. Opponents are going to stack the box each week and force quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to beat them with his arm. But as we've seen time and time again, Gailey's offense goes as Ivory goes. He gained 460 yards in their first four games, prompting teammate Brandon Marshall to call him the NFL's best running back. But in two of their four losses, he averaged only 1.1 yards a carry. (Ivory missed the Eagles game in Week 3.) He returned to form in Thursday night's loss to the Bills, gaining 99 yards on 18 carries, but can he keep the momentum going? Bowles hired Gailey because of his creativity and his ability to draw up schemes to get guys open. So going forward, he has to figure out how to spread the field and create more holes for his feature back.

THE BIG-MONEY GUYS HAVE TO MAKE PLAYS

The double-teams are inevitable. That's a fact. But Brandon Marshall has to find a way to get open and hold on to the football. On a few occasions, he's lamented: "I let my team down." After 10 years in the NFL, however, he has to do better. Marshall doesn't have blazing speed, but he's got the height and size to break games open. Too often, opponents have taken him out of plays, but it's not all on Marshall. Eric Decker also must prove he's worthy of his five-year, $36.25-million deal. While he may not be a pure No. 1 target, he's a very good possession receiver. For the Jets to be effective down the stretch, Decker has to catch more of the passes thrown his way.

DEFENSE NEEDS TO DOMINATE

Mistakes are one thing, but missed tackles and defensive breakdowns just can't happen. The Jets' defense impressed against the Bills, sacking Tyrod Taylor four times and hitting him eight times. But overall, there have been too many mental lapses, too many big plays allowed and not enough of a pass rush without the benefit of the blitz. The unit has more than enough playmakers to consistently put opposing quarterbacks on their backs and keep skill players out of the end zone. The key to the unit's success is simple: Get more turnovers. The Jets are 5-0 when they have at least two takeaways.

FITZMAGIC CAN'T FIZZLE

Aside from some bumps in the road, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been everything the Jets had hoped: a solid game manager who doesn't repeatedly compound one mistake with another. But while Fitzpatrick -- who has thrown nine interceptions -- isn't expected to take over a game by himself, he has to make sound decisions and take care of the football. The offensive line, of course, plays a large role in Fitzpatrick's success. He has been given plenty of time to make throws and has been sacked only seven times. If the O-line can keep that up, it'll go a long way toward making the offense go.

BOWLES CAN'T ACT LIKE A ROOKIE

He's the antithesis of Rex Ryan in every conceivable way, except one. The first-year coach repeatedly has been questioned about his in-game management, and Thursday night's loss to the Bills was just the latest head-scratcher. There was Bowles' late third-quarter decision to kick the extra point instead of going for two, plus a fourth-and-4 play-call involving Kellen Davis with 3:02 left in the game. Much attention has been paid in recent weeks to Bowles' use of timeouts (or lack thereof) and when and why he chooses to go for it versus playing it safe. At 5-4, the Jets have very little margin for error in the next seven games. The last thing they can afford is questionable game-management by the man in charge.

>     http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/six-keys-to-success-for-jets-1.11125166

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On Wednesday, esteemed colleague Dom Cosentino brought you a list of five reasons for Jets fans to be optimistic with seven games remaining. This is an important juncture for the Jets' season. They are 5-4, with two winnable games ahead — at Houston, and home against Miami. Will the Jets be 7-4 entering December? Or 6-5? Or perhaps even 5-6? 

They gave themselves a chance to be playoff contenders, with a 4-1 start. Now let's see how they finish, in this season's critical home stretch. Since there's no yin without a yang — or something like that — we'll offer some complementary thoughts to what Dom wrote

Behold, five reasons for Jets fans to be pessimistic — not that they usually need any encouragement — with seven games left: 

Offensive line injury issues. Center Nick Mangold has been a remarkably durable player throughout his career, but he's already dealt with a neck muscle injury this season. It sidelined him for a game and a half. Can he continue to stay consistently healthy, at age 31, in his 10th season? His backup, Wesley Johnson, simply cannot give the Jets' offensive line what Mangold can. And that's no knock against Johnson. It would be difficult for anybody to replicate Mangold's experience (149 career starts). Even if Mangold stays healthy, the Jets must deal with the absence of right guard Willie Colon. He is done for the year because of a knee injury. His replacement is Brian Winters, an inconsistent third-year pro. Do you trust Winters over the long haul? His track record through 21 career starts has been largely unimpressive. The Jets must hope he's turned a corner in Year 3. 

Antonio Cromartie's inconsistency. The Jets have a shutdown cornerback in Darrelle Revis. So they don't need Cromartie to be the Pro Bowl corner he was earlier in his career. But they do need him to play competently. By Cromartie's own admission, his first eight games this season were not good. It's not so much a health issue with Cromartie. The quad bruise that sidelined him last Thursday against the Bills was an aberration, the first time in 10 NFL seasons that he's missed a game due to an injury. But he's 31, so you have to wonder if he's still physically capable of playing corner at a high NFL level. His last two games — that fiasco in Oakland, and the 30-yard touchdown pass he allowed against the Jaguars — raised some legitimate concerns about whether he still has it. 

Todd Bowles' in-game decision making. For the most part, the Jets' rookie head coach has done a good job this season. His best players highly respect his defensive game planning. But Bowles has made some questionable in-game decisions. Most notably, there was his clock management in a loss at the Patriots, followed three games later by his choice to pass up a two-point conversion attempt in a loss to the Bills. We won't rehash both situations here. (Click here to read more about the Patriots clock stuff, and click here to read about the Bills two-point conversion thing.) You can't expect Bowles to be a master of in-game decisions in Year 1. But do you worry about him making another questionable move in a big spot that costs the Jets a much-needed win? (And they're all much-needed at this point.) 

Ryan Fitzpatrick's turnover issue. Fitzpatrick does deserve praise for how he's often steadily guided the Jets' offense this season. But just past the season's midpoint, the numbers clearly show that interceptions are an issue. He has nine of them, compared to 15 touchdown passes. His interception percentage is 3.2, which looks a lot like his lone year with the Titans (2013) and his final year in Buffalo (2012). His pick percentages those seasons were 3.4 and 3.2. From 2011-13, he threw 23, 16, and 12 picks. This season, his 3.2 pick percentage is tied for sixth in the NFL, along with Tampa Bay rookie Jameis Winston. Fitzpatrick is coming off a two-pick game against the Bills. He didn't have any picks in the previous three games, though he really played in just two of those games, since he got hurt on the opening drive in Oakland. 

The final gauntlet. As Dom correctly pointed out, the Jets' immediate upcoming schedule is favorable: Texans, Dolphins, Giants, and Titans. But then comes a fairly tough three-game stretch to finish the season: at Dallas, home against the Patriots, and at the Bills. Yes, Dallas is 2-7 right now, but a lot of that stems from quarterback Tony Romo's absence. The Cowboys get Romo back this week, which means that Saturday night home game against the Jets will be Romo's fifth game back, presuming he stays healthy. Dallas is a different team with him. If the Jets don't take advantage of their next four games, their final three could bite them. 

>       http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/11/5_reasons_for_jets_fans_to_be_pessimistic_with_7_g.html#incart_river_index

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Rich Cimini ESPN Staff Writer 

A person with no knowledge of the Jets and Texans would've assumed from watching yesterday's game that the Texans had the nine-day rest, not the Jets. The Texans were physically and mentally sharper than the Jets even though they had only five days to prepare, and that's an indictment of Todd Bowles and his staff. And let's not forget, the Texans did it with a third-string QB. It's a dark day in Jet-ville.

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

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— One of the few times J.J. Watt failed to impact the game came when he could not haul in a 2-yard touchdown pass against Calvin Pryor from T. J. Yates.

“When you make the play, you get to talk trash,” Watt said. “That’s what you earn when you make the play.”

Watt could have delivered the Gettysburg Address to the Jets on Sunday.“I love J.J.,” Houston safety Andre Hal said after the Jets’ 24-17 loss to the Texans. “He’s one of the greatest players I’ve ever played with. If he’s playing like that, it makes our job really easy in the back end.”

Watt recorded two more sacks Sunday — giving him 11.5 for the season — with eight tackles, five tackles for loss and five quarterback hits.“Everybody has to be doing the right thing to have success,” Watt said. “I think we are in a groove right now where everybody is playing really well.”No one is playing at his level. His eyes lit up at the sight of any one-on-one duel with Breno Giacomini and D’Brickashaw Ferguson.“You can say all you want — technique wins every time, and he had a little bit better technique than I did today,” Giacomini said.

“Breno won his share, Watt won his share,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said. “You take it hard when the guy beats you like that. He’s a talent.”Asked why Watt wasn’t double-teamed on his sacks of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bowles said: “We understand in these one-on-ones, in certain situations where the ball’s got to go and they’ve got to hold him up a little bit and then the quarterback’s got to get rid of it a little bit.”The Texans had gone 12 straight quarters without surrendering a touchdown until Brandon Marshall’s 21-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.“I don’t think anybody was really keeping counts by any means,” Watt said. “But obviously, the goal is not to give up touchdowns. That’s the whole point of defense. However little amount of points we can hold people to, that’s the ultimate goal.”

Watt had high praise for Fitzpatrick, his beleaguered former teammate.

“He’s the ultimate competitor,” Watt said. “That’s why his teammates love him. That’s why people around the league love him. Because he plays the game the right way, he plays the game hard.”

No one, of course, plays it harder than Watt. Or better.

>    http://nypost.com/2015/11/22/why-the-jets-wouldnt-double-team-unstoppable-jj-watt/

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The Jets should have been the team with a tiger in their tank, off their mini-bye weekend after their Thursday night game. Houston, meanwhile, was on the short week from its Monday night game at Cincinnati.The Texans, on the other hand, were coming in hot off of a major upset of the Bengals. And they had the better start and the better day deep in the heart in a 24-17 victory to raise their record to 5-5.

Meanwhile, the Jets, despite an energetic finish trying to tie things up, are now fit to be tied. They've seen their promising 4-1 start deflate to a 5-5 crossroads while their injuries continue to mount — C Nick Mangold (hand lacerations) and CB Darrelle Revis (concussion protocol) both left midgame."I'm extremely upset," Todd Bowles said afterwards in his most emotional postgame remarks as the Jets' first-year head coach. "I'm not going to take it out here. We'll discuss all that in-house when we get back. ... There's a lot of things that made me upset. We didn't make a couple of plays, a couple of times we busted plays that we damned well have to get better at."

Here are eight observations on how the Jets-Texans game unfolded  :

1. Pryor Back in the (Red) Zone

Calvin Pryor, out the past three games with a sprained ankle, was tested at the end of the first quarter on a Yates fade to "wideout" J.J. Watt, who had five TD catches last year. Not this time, as Pryor broke it up in the end zone to end the period. The defense held up on third down at the other end of the field, forcing the Texans to settle for a Nick Novak field goal at the end of their 8:00 drive against the NFL's No. 2 red zone defense.

2. Texan Revenge

Two former Texans got the Jets even at 3-3 with 8:21 left in the first half. Marcus Williams, cut by Houston last year, did it all on third-and-9, blitzing from Yates' blind side, stripping the QB, and pouncing on the fumble at the Texans 47. It was the first full sack of his career. The Jets' drive stalled at the 22 so on came Randy Bullock, Nick Folk's replacement and a Texans waiver victim in September, to tie it from 40 yards out.

3. Cornering the Market

With Kareem Jackson out and Johnathan Joseph leaving the game with injuries (Joseph returned later), you'd think the Jets would be first to pick on the corners. Instead, Yates loaded up and hit DeAndre Hopkins past Darrelle Revis of all corners for a 61-yard score and a 10-3 lead with 3:04 to play in the half. "He gave up a touchdown," Bowles said of Revis. "That's about the size of it."

4. Ending the Texans' Streak

The Jets cobbled together an odd yet satisfying drive to the first touchdown scored on the Texans in 13 quarters. It began with Ivory's 23-yard bounceout, the Jets' longest play of the game. An Ivory fumble on the next play was reversed into down by contact. Then Eric Decker drew a 44-yard pass interference penalty on Quintin Demps, the longest penalty against a Jets opponent in five years. Finally, Fitzpatrick lofted a pass to Brandon Marshall over rookie CB Kevin Johnson for a 21-yard strike and the Jets had slayed the beast that the Texans' 12-quarter no-TD streak had become. But even at 10-10, would they have enough to pass Houston?

5. We'll See Your One and Raise You Two

But the Texans struck right back for a pair of touchdown passes. One was on a backpass from Yates to WR Cecil Shorts, who let it fly for RB Alfred Blue for a 21-yard score and a 17-10 lead. Then on the next drive, Darrelle Revis left the field with an injury, Marcus Williams came in for him and immediately gave up the second Yates-to-Hopkins TD strike of the game and a 24-10 edge with 3:24 left in the third frame. The Jets were losing their grip on this game.

6. The Bounding Beard Returns

Fitzpatrick was fired up himself as the gameclock wound down, but would it be enough? If he had anything to say about it, it might. Fitz kept for 4 yards on 3rd-and-5 to the Texans 21, then kept again on fourth down to move the chains. And on 1st-and-goal from the 6, it was Fitzpatrick again with the gallop up the middle and the score — even as he took a shot and his helmet came off at the goal line — that cut the deficit to 24-17.

7. The Magic Disappears

The Jets were in position to drive for the tying touchdown starting from their 41. But three downs gained 5 yards, then Fitzpatrick tried to fit a ball over coverage to Devin Smith. He didn't make it, with S Eddie Pleasant making the fourth-down pick. The Green & White were on life support now. They needed a defensive stop and then still that TD to tie it up...

8. The Magic Really Disappears

The visitors got the stop with the defense's fourth consecutive 3-and-out in the fourth quarter. Then a punt touchback gave them the ball at their 20 with 2:19 to play. Certainly doable ... but Fitzpatrick couldn't do it, throwing a slant for Marshall that S Andre Hal jumped — dived for, more accurately — for the second Fitz pick in three plays. And it was kneeldown time.

"I feel like we just need to be more consistent and start faster," rookie DE Leonard Williams said. "We try to fight in the end and it's not enough."

Bowles said he's still committed to Fitzpatrick (19-for-39, 216 yards, one TD, two INTs, three sacks, two by Watt) as his signalcalller but said, "I don't think he played very well, just like a lot of other people on both sides of the ball. We'll discuss everything on Monday like we always do." He added that one of the topics at those day-after meetings "involves who starts at every position."

It's time for the Jets to seriously regroup if they want to lift themselves out of the 5-5 pile and fight for a postseason berth over the last six weeks. Next up: the Miami Dolphins on Ring of Honor induction day next Sunday.

>    http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-randylangefb/Jets-Falter-in-Houston-8-Observations/2726c75e-e9e5-4461-b04b-38e0d22dfa4e

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-- Five reasons why the New York Jets (5-5) have dropped four of their past five games, leaving them on the brink of falling out of the playoff race  :

1. Stars have dimmed: The big-name players with the big salaries have, for various reasons, slipped in recent weeks. We're talking about Brandon Marshall, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold and Chris Ivory on offense; Antonio Cromartie, Darrelle Revis and Buster Skrine on defense. Much of the team's early-season success was due to big-time performances by Marshall, Ivory and Revis, but their consistency has waned. This isn't to suggest they can't rebound over the final six weeks, but five of the aforementioned seven players are 30 and up. Logic tells us a late-season resurgence is less likely with older players.

2. Loss of identity: Good teams know what they do best and they stick with it. The Jets have forgotten who they are, particularly on offense. In the first five games, they ran the ball a lot (a league-high 32.6 carries per game) and they ran it well (4.48 yards per attempt). Over the past five games, the average number of carries has dropped to 24.6 (18th) and efficiency has nosedived to a shockingly low 3.2 per rush (30th). Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has become pass-reliant, putting too much pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick. To get the best out of Fitzpatrick, the Jets need to keep him under 30 attempts, operating a balanced attack. A little creativity in the running game would help. The Jets have to dust off their old blueprint.

3. Aging O-line: For years, the Jets were blessed with good health and continuity on the offensive line. This season, not so much. Right guard Willie Colon (knee) is done for the season and Mangold has missed the equivalent of two games with hand and neck injuries. It's no coincidence the running game started to fall apart when Mangold, the center, got hurt. His replacement, Wesley Johnson, had no previous NFL experience in the pivot. The front office will have to make some tough decisions in the offseason. Mangold and Ferguson are both 31, and the line needs fresh blood.

4. The 4-3 isn't working: When Sheldon Richardson returned from his suspension in Week 6, the Jets adjusted the defense, morphing from a 3-4 scheme into more 4-3 fronts. It seemed to make sense because it allowed the Big Four -- Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson, Damon Harrison and Leonard Williams -- to play at the same time, at least on first and second downs. In reality, it hasn't helped because the Jets are essentially playing with four defensive tackles, hurting the outside pass rush. Less pressure means fewer hurried throws, and that has resulted in fewer takeaways -- only five over the past five games, compared to 15 in the first five. It's simple, really: When the Jets have multiple takeaways in a game, they win. They're 5-0 in those games.

5. Missing speed: The Jets lack explosive athletes at a few key positions, and it's catching up to them. Marshall and Eric Decker are a terrific tandem, but they're bigger receivers and need time to get into their pass routes. Gailey's offense is predicated on quick throws, and the Jets don't have a receiver who can create immediate separation. Jeremy Kerley used to be that guy, but the new staff doesn't regard him as highly as the previous staff. Rookie Devin Smith could be that guy, but he hasn't developed as quickly as hoped. The lack of a home-run threat in the backfield also has become more pronounced. The running backs have produced only one play (run or catch) longer than 25 yards in the past five games. Defensively, the Jets don't have a speedy pass-rusher on the edge. See item No. 4.

>        http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/56470/anatomy-of-a-mid-season-collapse-examining-why-jets-have-sputtered

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