Jets culture change (with bonus Fitz bio)

[LIJetsFan]

http://nypost.com/2015/12/21/the-wins-and-hugs-that-prove-jets-culture-change/

 

The Jets defeated the Cowboys 19-16 on Saturday night to keep their playoff hopes alive. They are 9-5, their best record since 2010 through 14 games, and riding a four-game winning streak. Here are some thoughts and observations on the game:

1. The Jets are going through what Pat Riley called “the innocent climb.” They are learning how to win and gaining confidence in one another. The game in Dallas is one the Jets would have lost earlier this season.

If you look at four of the Jets’ five losses (Oakland is the exception), they had a chance to win in the fourth quarter, but came up short. But for the second time in three weeks, the Jets figured out a way to get it done. The wins over the Giants and Cowboys are encouraging signs for this team.

Coming off a 4-12 season and four straight years without making the playoffs, the Jets had become used to losing. Jets coach Todd Bowles had to change that culture when he arrived. It is safe to say he has.

Several players said even when things were not going well, there was a constant belief that they would win the game. That is a credit to Bowles and to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick’s teammates believe in him in a way the Jets have not believed in their quarterback in some time. There is a faith that he will find a way, something Geno Smith and Mark Sanchez never had from their teammates.

I went to the area outside the locker room just before the end of the game. I was curious to see how the players would react to the win. Would they be upset with the way they played for three quarters? Not a chance. They were whooping it up as they walked to the locker room and owner Woody Johnson was greeting everyone with hugs and handshakes.

The Jets knew this was a game they would not have won last year or two months ago, but they feel like they are never out of a game now.Modal Trigger

Ryan FitzpatrickPhoto: EPA

2. Fitzpatrick is having a career year, and he is moving up the career passing lists in the process. You would not think of Fitzpatrick in the same way as some of the names he is going by on the NFL’s career lists, but he is doing it.

Saturday’s performance gave Fitzpatrick 22,701 yards in his 11-year career. He moved past Hall of Famer Roger Staubach into 86th place all-time. He now has 2,045 completions, moving him past Terry Bradshaw and Joe Theismann into 64th place all-time in that category. His 149 career touchdowns have him tied for No. 83 with Frank Ryan and Daunte Culpepper. He is three behind Bart Starr and Billy Kilmer and four touchdowns behind Staubach.

Another cool note about Fitzpatrick: He was taken by the Rams in the seventh round with the 250th pick of the 2005 NFL Draft. The first pick in that draft was Alex Smith by the 49ers. Fitzpatrick has 149 touchdowns. Smith has 138.

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Darrelle Revis intercepted Matt Cassel.Photo: Getty Images

3. The Jets defense returned to a familiar formula on Saturday night when they forced turnovers. The Jets picked off four passes — three from Kellen Moore and one from Matt Cassel.

It was clear from the start of the season that this defense could be opportunistic. They had 10 takeaways in the first two games, but that pace obviously slowed. They returned to that form on Saturday night.

The Jets now have 28 takeaways this season, third in the NFL behind the Panthers and Cardinals. The Jets had only 28 takeaways combined in 2013 and ’14. It’s amazing what $150 million can buy you in the secondary.

For the Jets to keep winning, they need to keep forcing the turnovers. It is one of the simplest tenets of football that the team that wins the turnover battle usually wins. The Jets are 7-1 when they win the turnover battle this season.

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Kenbrell Thompkins made a key catch on the Jets’ game-winning drive.Photo: AP/Waco Tribune-Herald

4. Kenbrell Thompkins made one of the biggest plays of the game with his 43-yard catch that set up the game-winning field goal from Randy Bullock. Fitzpatrick complimented Thompkins after the game for seeing the hole in the Cowboys’ coverage earlier and alerting him.

So why have we not seen more of him this year? Thompkins, the former Patriot, has played well when he has gotten a chance.

I give Bowles credit for playing his best players and forgetting about contracts or draft position for the most part. This is the one position where I think he let it influence him. Rookie Devin Smith playing over Thompkins was not the right decision. Thompkins has six catches against the Raiders when Smith was injured and played well against the Jaguars, but he was inactive for three of the four games before last weekend. It seemed like once Smith was healthy, Thompkins was no longer needed. But Smith had very little success, and you wonder if he could have made a play like Thompkins did on Saturday. Smith was the second-round pick by the team, and it feels like the coaching staff forced him into the lineup rather than playing the better receiver.

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Bilal Powell gets congratulated by Nick Mangold after a touchdown.Photo: AP\/Waco Tribune-Herald

Revealing number: The Jets had seven penalties in the first half and one in the second half. The penalties were killing them early in the game, wiping out some big plays (and a field goal). But credit Bowles and his team with cutting down on the costly mistakes in the second half.

Surprising snap count: Running back Bilal Powell saw most of the action for the Jets, playing 36 snaps. Chris Ivory played 28. Early in the season, this would have been unthinkable with how Ivory was playing, but he has slowed down and Powell has picked up the slack. Powell has become a nice piece of the Jets offense, able to do damage as a receiver and a runner. He had seven catches for 54 yards while rushing it six times for 25 yards and a touchdown. When the offense was scuffling, Fitzpatrick was able to rely on Powell as a checkdown option.

Game ball: Quincy Enunwa only had four catches, but his 24-yarder on third down in the fourth quarter was huge. It was a tough catch on a poorly thrown ball that gave the Jets a first down and set up Eric Decker’s go-ahead touchdown. Enunwa has been an unsung player on this offense, but he has made some big contributions.