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Zach Wilson’s Week 1 film: An encouraging NY Jets’ silver lining


LIJetsFan

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Thanks for posting. Pretty exciting that just about all of the analysis of Wilson's first game has the indicators pointing up.

Also, while I know that the players voted Wilson captain, anyone can wear a C on their jersey and it is tough for a rookie in any sport, playing any position, to be a team leader. But, by the second half it was apparent that Wilson had seized the reigns and was, in fact, the leader of the offense.

Finally, so disappointing to see the O line fail so often against 4 man rushes. On one of those plays the DT just plowed by Van Roten knocking him to the ground. 

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Just now, Sonny Werblin said:

Thanks for posting. Pretty exciting that just about all of the analysis of Wilson's first game has the indicators pointing up.

Also, while I know that the players voted Wilson captain, anyone can wear a C on their jersey and it is tough for a rookie in any sport, playing any position, to be a team leader. But, by the second half it was apparent that Wilson had seized the reigns and was, in fact, the leader of the offense.

Finally, so disappointing to see the O line fail so often against 4 man rushes. On one of those plays the DT just plowed by Van Roten knocking him to the ground. 

Yeah if Zach could only learn to trust the pocket 

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NY Jets panic meter: Zach Wilson is chill, whereas defense is another deal

The New York Jets panic meter is skyrocketing after a Week 1 loss to the Carolina Panthers, but Zach Wilson is one who deserves chill status.

By  Robby Sabo  09/14/2021

Keep the panic minimal after the NY Jets’ Week 1 loss

Again? Really?

Yes, again. It’s happened yet again for the New York Jets and their diehard fans who flocked to Carolina this past weekend.

Again, in that their team couldn’t match the hype, ultimately falling by a 19-14 final to the Carolina Panthers. Again, in the sense that the injuries are instantly and infuriatingly piling up. Again, in that another former quarterback sought and capitalized on sweet revenge (see Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2017 and Chad Pennington in 2008).

The once jubilant mood that celebrated Joe Douglas’s executive prowess and Robert Saleh’s sideline enthusiasm has turned quicker than a New York minute—faster than a dinner party atmosphere after a faux pas involving Borat and a bag.

“Same old Jets” and “we can’t have nice things” have taken over Jets’ social media circles as fandom drowns in its sorrows.

But wait. Wait just one stinking moment. As depressed as fans should be early this week, there were some legitimate positives coming out of the Week 1 loss.

In this sport, not everything is always as it appears. Legitimately positive aspects popped up this past Sunday.

Simultaneously, of course, panic should set in in multiple areas.

Let’s set the New York Jets panic meter after a disheartening Week 1 loss.

Chill: Relax. Don’t jump off the deep end, as either more time is needed or the “it’s just one game” reminder needs to take hold.

The gray area in-between: Tough to define, but most of what’s seen below falls in this area either on the moderately chill or panic side.

Panic: Sound the alarm. Either push the panic button jump out of the nearest 10-story building, for things couldn’t look or feel worse.

The panic meter also showcases a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 representing the chill side and 10 going all-in on the panic.

NY Jets offense: Timidly chill (3 of 10)

Interestingly, the New York Jets offense should fall somewhere on the “chill” side of the panic meter, yet it shouldn’t travel past the point of goodwill.

Multiple opportunities were left on the table in the first half, especially in the first quarter. First-year offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur’s strategy was obvious: establish an identity.

Unfortunately, the opportunity for more yards evaporated due to the attempt in establishing that identity (more on that under the LaFleur section below). But from an overall standpoint, there’s promise on this side of the ball.

Zach Wilson: Beyond chill (1 of 10)

Those who walked away from that game thinking Sam Darnold outplayed Zach Wilson simply don’t know what they’re watching. One quarterback missed several open targets and threw inaccurately while asked to execute a much easier game plan, while the other stood in the face of intense pressure and delivered in his first NFL game.

At the very least, there’s nothing to worry about at the quarterback position. The Jets nailed this decision this past offseason.

Weapons: Cool, calm and relaxed (2 of 10)

Corey Davis: Completely chill

Elijah Moore: Impatient chill

Running backs: Slightly worried

Tight ends: Somewhat panicked

Corey Davis enjoyed a five-reception, 97-yard, two-touchdown game in his Jets debut. So, there are no complaints there. Elijah Moore is a different story; although, there’s no need to panic.

The Ole Miss product is a flat-out stud. Forget the drop on the shallow cross and the missed opportunity deep for a moment. This was the rookie receiver’s first NFL game after missing time in August and September.

Let him get his feet and head right before evaluating the kid any further. He still belongs in the chill category, albeit in a semi-impatient fashion.

There’s not much to dig into as far as the running backs are concerned; not until the offensive line first does its job. And the tight ends didn’t have a great game when asked to pass block—or run block, for that matter.

Offensive line: Panic with a dash of reason (7 of 10)

Mekhi Becton: Panic city

Alijah Vera-Tucker: Frightening chill

Connor McGovern: Panic city

Greg Van Roten: Panic town

George Fant: Indifferent

Morgan Moses: Moderate chill

As a whole, Jets fans have every right to push the panic button on the offensive line. Finally, the team gets two first-round bodies in the fold and the unit puts up a stinker.

Mekhi Becton is injured again. This time he heads to the shelf courtesy of a dislocated kneecap. While the verdict can certainly be viewed as good news—as fears ran rampant that he’d be out for the season—the Louisville product’s injury history is becoming quite the concern.

Alijah Vera-Tucker was plain awful in his professional debut, as were Connor McGovern and Greg Van Roten.

Go ahead and push that panic button while holding onto a dash of reason, for this marked the first time these five men ever played together as a unit. That’s a critical piece of information to keep in mind.

NY Jets defense: Panic button time (7 of 10)

As poorly as the offense played, the defense should top the panic list. A better quarterback would have dropped at least 37 points on Sunday (three more touchdowns).

Miscommunication could be seen in far too many areas, as wide-open Panther weapons were either missed or thrown to inaccurately.

Defensive line: All good (3 of 10)

Quinnen Williams: Anxious panic

John Franklin-Myers: Cool

Foley Fatukasi: All good

Bryce Huff: Optimistic chill

Shaq Lawson: “Wait and see” chill

The only saving grace comes upfront. New York’s four-man pass rush performed much better than the feeling that oozed from the broadcast view.

Even what appeared to be a quiet Quinnen Williams debut didn’t match the reality of the situation.

EDGE Bryce Huff: 25.0% pass-rush win rate

IDL Foley Fatukasi: 21.4% pass-rush win rate

EDGE John Franklin-Myers: 20.0% pass-rush win rate

IDL Quinnen Williams: 17.4% pass-rush win rate

IDL Sheldon Rankins: 13.6% pass-rush win rate

EDGE Shaq Lawson: 0.0% pass-rush win rate

2020 league averages: 9.9% for IDL, 12.9% for EDGE

Linebackers: Freak-out time (10 of 10)

C.J. Mosley: Earnest-effort chill

Everybody else: Panic beyond belief

It didn’t take a rocket surgeon (as I’ve actually heard it announced as many times over the course of my life) to figure out what Joe Brady’s game plan was early. He wanted to attack the two rookie linebackers.

Using Christian McCaffrey in the flats while maximizing the short, three-step passing game is where Carolina focused early in this one. It worked to a decent degree, but it also didn’t cripple Jeff Ulbrich’s unit.

Now, with Jamien Sherwood expected to miss multiple weeks with an ankle injury, it’s freak-out time.

C.J. Mosley played well when using the eye test, but the analytics folks at PFF didn’t agree (29.3 overall grade that ranks him 80th at linebacker). It was probably that 29.1 pass coverage grade that did him in, as McCaffrey got him more than once when running the angle route.

When it isn’t known who’s actually going to start just five days away from a game, the mood travels beyond panic and into freak out.

Cornerbacks: Surprisingly chill (5 of 10)

Bryce Hall: The chill leader

Michael Carter II: The young chill

Javelin Guidry: The quick chill

Brandin Echols: The “wait and see” chill

Unlike the general consensus, I wasn’t too worried about the Jets’ cornerback situation heading into the season. Yes, this group is certainly still a “situation” that needs attention and eventual addressing, but today’s NFL landscape makes it an interesting study.

Considering nobody can play the position flawlessly, per the outlandish rules that discriminate against defenders, going young and focusing on the pass rush was the way to go. Nonetheless, the kids played well against the Panthers.

Bryce Hall was tremendous and Michael Carter II showed why he’s the most promising rookie defender on the team. Granted, the Panthers did deploy a lot of three-step stuff, and Darnold wasn’t great in the game, but through one week, the corners deserve a solid grade.

Safeties: ‘Who can play safety’ panic? (8 of 10)

Marcus Maye: Veteran chill

Everybody else: “What are they going to do” panic?

Marcus Maye wasn’t great, but he also wasn’t terrible. Similar to the Mosley situation, Maye had to deal with a lot on Sunday (inexperience around him and injuries piling up).

Lamarcus Joyner’s injury means the safety opposite of Maye will be a relative unknown. Newcomer Sheldrick Redwine put forth one of the worst safety plays in recent memory on the Robby Anderson touchdown. To leave yourself that flat-footed with one of the fastest receivers in the league going vertical is a tough situation.

Another newcomer, Adrian Colbert, replaced Redwine to a much more efficient degree. Still, who will start opposite No. 20 in a passing league makes the safety position fall into the panic category without hesitation.

NY Jets special teams: ‘The good, bad and unbelievable’ chill (4 of 10)

Braden Mann: “Why?” panic

Matt Ammendola: “Gold star of the week” chill

Braden Mann’s injury is just one of those things. (Just one of those things that seem to happen to Joe Douglas draftees is more like it.)

And although the Jets will have to sign a punter, Matt Ammendola’s punting efforts in Carolina deserve the gold star of the week. Somewhere, Jay Feeley’s chin was held high while watching the kid fill in at punter (harkening back to the 2009 Jets wild-card game in Cincinnati when Steve Weatherford went down).

NY Jets coaching staff: ‘Wait and see’ reasonable thoughts (5 of 10)

Listen, it was the first game. Criticism is warranted but at least some patience is still required.

Robert Saleh: ‘There’s work to do’ chill (5 of 10)

On one hand, the obvious adjustments made at halftime and during the game represent a positive Jets fans haven’t experienced in quite some time. On the other hand, the boneheaded (unforced) penalties were just too much.

Guys not running on the field for special teams, illegal formations and pre-snap stuff that simply cannot happen isn’t something Robert Saleh wants to be known for.

No Robert Saleh panic is warranted just yet, but time is short.

Mike LaFleur: Chill with a raised eyebrow (5 of 10)

Mike LaFleur faced a tough situation in his first game as an NFL play-caller. There isn’t much an offensive coordinator can do when his guys aren’t blocking anybody.

Then again, this is the NFL in the year 2021; there’s always something an offensive mind can do.

A ton of yards and a solid number of points were left on the field in the first quarter. Carolina’s defense came out in aggressive mode right from the get-go, and yet LaFleur was intent on establishing an identity.

Running into loaded boxes and safeties driving down fearlessly helped the Jets to a 2.6 yards-per-carry day. Obviously, a lot of that dealt with poor efforts via one-on-one matchups and group play (as a simple stunt couldn’t be handed in the passing game). But LaFleur rolled with the classic Shanahan principle that “it starts with the rushing attack.”

Eventually, the Jets opened things up and Wilson capitalized. Thinking about keeping Wilson upright had to be in the mind, but force-feeding a run a bit too much when the defense was taking it away hurt the flow early.

Again, LaFleur deserves the benefit of the doubt, to be in the chill category, but with a stare only The Rock could produce.

Jeff Ulbrich: Vanilla gray area (4 of 10)

New York did blitz on a few occasions in the contest, but Saleh’s vanilla yet situationally-principled features were on full display. The idea that a rookie (Mac Jones) is coming to town is a welcomed one when looking ahead to Week 2.

Brant Boyer: ‘What’s he supposed to do’ chill? (5 of 10)

Much like Jeff Ulbrich, there isn’t much to say about Brant Boyer’s first game in 2021. We already know who Boyer is; it’s just a matter of watching this special teams group more than a sole game.

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NY Jets’ young cornerbacks post staggering numbers in 2021 debut

The New York Jets' young cornerbacks combined to enjoy an impressive 2021 debut against the Carolina Panthers' tough wide receivers.

By  Michael Nania  09/14/2021

New York Jets’ cornerbacks stand out in season opener

The most maligned position group on the New York Jets‘ roster throughout the offseason was easily the cornerback unit. Joe Douglas and company elected not to invest any premium assets into one of the team’s weakest positions, opting to bet on a bevy of young players who were either drafted on the third day of the draft or not drafted at all.

Douglas’ exceedingly green cornerback room became even more inexperienced when he and the team decided to part ways with projected starter Bless Austin as part of 53-man roster cuts. Austin’s total of 16 career starts was greater than all other players in the unit combined (9).

The Jets did not draw a favorable season-opening opponent for their juvenile cornerback room to compete against. Carolina’s trio of D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, and Terrace Marshall should finish as one of the better units in the league this season. Moore and Anderson were one of only two duos of wide receiver teammates to each eclipse 1,000 yards in 2020.

This looked like a recipe for disaster. But football can be a weird game. It has a way of taking the image of how we think things are going to play out and then completely flipping it on its head.

That is what went down in Charlotte on Sunday. The weakest position on the Jets’ roster convincingly won its battle against one of the strongest positions on Carolina’s roster – just like everyone expected.

Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold threw 15 passes in which a Jets cornerback was the primary defender, according to Pro Football Focus. Nine of those were completed for a measly 77 yards (5.1 per target), four first downs (29% of passes), and zero touchdowns.

The average of 5.1 yards per target allowed by New York’s cornerback unit was the third-best mark of any cornerback unit in the NFL in Week 1, trailing only the 49ers (5.0) and Eagles (4.4).

Here are the coverage numbers of the four Jets cornerbacks to play against the Panthers:

Bryce Hall (LCB): 37 coverage snaps, 1/2 passing for 9 yards and 1 first down

Brandin Echols (RCB): 29 coverage snaps, 3/5 passing for 26 yards and 1 first down

Michael Carter II (SCB): 20 coverage snaps, 3/5 passing for 17 yards and 1 first down

Javelin Guidry: (RCB): 12 coverage snaps, 2/3 passing for 25 yards and 1 first down

The starting trio of Hall (outside left), Echols (outside right), and Carter II (slot) was excellent. They combined to allow 7-of-12 passing for 52 yards (4.3 per target) and three first downs (25% rate).

Guidry struggled a bit as the Jets’ fourth corner, handling a new role as he played right cornerback instead of the slot role he manned in 2020 and throughout the 2021 offseason. Over a limited number of snaps, he let up a 27-yard first down to D.J. Moore and should have given up another big first down but lucked out as Moore dropped an easy catch over the middle.

Hall held the fort down tremendously as the Jets’ left cornerback and No. 1 player at the position.

Playing a team-high 37 snaps in coverage and staying on the field for all 64 defensive snaps (with all 64 coming on the left side of the defense), Hall allowed a nine-yard first down to Christian McCaffrey in the first quarter and never gave up another the catch over the rest of the game. His average of 0.24 yards allowed per cover snap ranked seventh-best among the 64 cornerbacks to play at least 30 snaps in coverage.

Echols was the Jets’ right cornerback and No. 2 player on the depth chart, playing 46 defensive snaps (72% of the snaps). All of his snaps came on the right side of the defense. He gave up a 13-yard first down to D.J. Moore on a back-shoulder throw in the first quarter and never yielded another chain-mover in the game over four ensuing targets.

Carter II was challenged often in the slot. When lined up in the slot, he saw a target once every 3.8 snaps in coverage, which ranked as the fourth-most-frequent rate among 38 qualified slot defenders in Week 1.

But the rookie made Carolina pay for testing him. He allowed a passer rating of 66.3 across five targets in his direction, ranking sixth-best among slot defenders.

The greatest aspect of the unit’s performance is how fundamentally sound it was. The four cornerbacks combined for zero penalties and zero missed tackles. They were one of only five cornerback units to accomplish that in Week 1.

In addition, the Jets’ cornerback unit was one of only two to combine for zero touchdowns allowed, zero penalties, and zero missed tackles. The other features the most expensive cornerback duo in the NFL – the Miami Dolphins’ unit headlined by Xavien Howard and Byron Jones.

Will the Jets’ young cornerbacks continue to play at this elite of a level all season? Probably not. Ups and downs are to be expected for a group whose oldest player is Hall at 24 years old.

Regardless, it is extremely promising to see the Jets’ youthful cornerback group show such a high production ceiling in its very first game – especially considering the quality of the opponent they faced. It is already clear that this unit is indeed capable of performing at a high level.

The question is, how long will it take them to reach the point where they can play this well on a consistent basis?

Most likely, that point will not come in 2021. Patience is key – but Carolina was undoubtedly one heck of a great way for this group to get things started.

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55 minutes ago, Sonny Werblin said:

Thanks for posting. Pretty exciting that just about all of the analysis of Wilson's first game has the indicators pointing up.

Also, while I know that the players voted Wilson captain, anyone can wear a C on their jersey and it is tough for a rookie in any sport, playing any position, to be a team leader. But, by the second half it was apparent that Wilson had seized the reigns and was, in fact, the leader of the offense.

Finally, so disappointing to see the O line fail so often against 4 man rushes. On one of those plays the DT just plowed by Van Roten knocking him to the ground. 

Watching those clips...it seems like Wilson wasn't taking the check down on 4 man rushes and was looking for the big play.

Probably because he's taught if there's a 4 man rush he can expect to have extra time...Unfortunatley that's not what the Jets were able to do.

I am very scared for Sunday.

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2 hours ago, LIJetsFan said:

https://jetsxfactor.com/2021/09/14/zach-wilson-film-ny-jets-carolina-panthers/

 

Sorry guys but this link was way too complicated for me to paste here but this contains many replays with excellent breakdowns.  I highly recommend giving it a look see.  Go Jets! 

Considering what we saw from the offensive line that JD fielded, the "silver lining" is going to be on the injury list in the not too hear future. 

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1 hour ago, Sonny Werblin said:

Thanks for posting. Pretty exciting that just about all of the analysis of Wilson's first game has the indicators pointing up.

Also, while I know that the players voted Wilson captain, anyone can wear a C on their jersey and it is tough for a rookie in any sport, playing any position, to be a team leader. But, by the second half it was apparent that Wilson had seized the reigns and was, in fact, the leader of the offense.

Finally, so disappointing to see the O line fail so often against 4 man rushes. On one of those plays the DT just plowed by Van Roten knocking him to the ground. 

That Van Roten play caused Bectons injury.

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Re those cornerbacks: I was also impressed that not only did they hold their own, when most of us feared a jailbreak, but their tackling was excellent after catches were made. I'm thinking of that third down toss to McCaffrey in the flat where he got ankle tackled (Guidry?) before turning upfield for a potentially huge gain plus the first down. 

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7 hours ago, JiFapono said:

Punt > Punt > Punt > INT > turnover on downs > Punt > Punt > TD > Punt > TD

 

So encouraging!!!! 

I'm looking forward to the December articles from PFF that Wilson was the NFL's highest rated QB in December during the 4th quarter when the barometric pressure drops and the moon is half crescent so everyone gets psyched the same way they did when PFF wrote. the same sh!t during Geno and Darnold's rookie seasons. 

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