Cheer up - The season is far from over

[clayton163v]

The Jets are not only still in the hunt - but aside from the Bills - we are through the tough part of the schedule.  The rest of the division has not finished with its tour of the AFC Central.

Teams have won the bowl with a suffocating defense and little else.  Guess what?  We look like contenders out there.  I am a tough judge - read my posts - but we are beginning to dam up the river.  We have two shutdown corners and two more starters inside too.  MC 2 and Echols are STARTERS imo.  We even have another on the bench.  It is the deepest group of corners in football.  It is what Saleh promised.  A pass defense.       

Whitehead is beginning to play really well.  He is stalking the line of scrimmage and making a difference.  Joyner is beginning to benefit from the ducks forced by the pass rush, our corner's coverage and the lead with which we have been playing.  That is the job of the free safety.  He still gets isolated and we had a few blown coverages that he cleaned up.  But on the whole, he has held up well when you consider he has a bullseye on his back.  Who would you throw on?

Mosley was not seen trailing the play this week.  Did you notice?  I did.  We made adjustments.  Alexander is taking the other teams #1 tight end and backs out of the game.  We are giving up dumps to the 2d tight end.   Works for me.  The running lanes are getting shut down.  The defensive line has improved its gap integrity and is keeping runs inside.  The young talent across our defensive front is holding its own.  We are very active all across the line of scrimmage and Quinnen played another excellent game.  We are feeding off of him.  The pass rush is coming together, it is not just one player with an awesome move.  We are collapsing the pocket.  There is nowhere to escape.  I see the entire unit beginning to gel. 

Like Jet fans everywhere, I want victory.  I see such hope for optimism. 

Yes the loss of AVT hurts (it hurts to even type it), but we have still have depth at at tackle with Fant when he gets back.  And he will get back.  The loss of Hall deflates the bag, tis true.  But the wide zone scheme produces its best runs through repetition.  Denver was famous for its no name running backs.  I have full confidence in MC 1 to perform and beat the NFL.  He needs a teammate to  shoulder the load, but he can do it.  I cannot say enough about Joe Douglas bringing in Robinson.  He got replaced for no reason at all.  Total mismanagement of the team's resources imo.  Why take a back #1 when your rookie gained 1400 yards?  Idiotic.  Welcome to New York. 

The Jets offensive line is executing the zone scheme well.  Herbig executes his duties on the run and pass.  This is not a small thing.  He dropped out of the sky.  His pass blocking is up to snuff.  Where was he last year?  This is not criticism.  It is amazement.  Tomlinson is a veteran in the scheme and so is McGovern.  Old man Brown is playing far better than ANY of us have ANY right to expect.   I will not hide it.  The sudden appearance of the Mighty Og did not inspire confidence.  He just rolled in on the waiver wire and was not in camp with us to my knowledge.  And the offensive line as a whole had issues yesterday with the calamity that had befallen it.  But they got through it.  We will get through the next few games at RT.  If it is not the Mighty Og, then next man up.  Fant is coming.  Fant is good.  We are not stuck with a waiver wire player.  Despite it all, the offensive line plays the zone scheme well.  Pass blocking . . . is better than it looks imo. 

The wide receivers are the deepest group we have had in a very long time.  Davis, Wilson, Moore, Berrios, Mims and Smith are FAR better than most of the other teams in the NFL.  Yes, I would rather have some other starting duos.  But across the board, this unit has a future and plenty of now.  They can put it all together.  Who would be shocked to see Moore or Wilson light up New England on Sunday?  And I am not scared of New England after watching them last night.  I do not see how they will beat Sauce and Reed. 

We look like contenders.  Yes, I see the Zach issues but I know that every game is a new dawn and professional athletes - like NFL fans - need to forget the last one and focus on what is in front of them. Zach, Jim McMahon wears a ring and he went to BYU.  The Jets will be in every game they play for the rest of the season.  The defense will not let us down and I see fight in this team.  So much has already changed.   Even the Bengals game was a war - remember Sauce owning Chase?  The defense has played better each and every time they took the field this season.  It really bodes well.  What is more, I like this team.  I love the GM - best ever.  I even like Saleh and the coaching staff.  Look at all the young players they have on the field.  I am not referring to Sauce.  I am referring to Echols, Berrios, MC 1, MC 2 and Mitchell.  And there are more of them too.  Any coach can work with first round picks.  Any GM can pick the star early.  But working with later picks and finding quality late is what it is all about.  This is the coaches.  This is the GM.  We are getting deep and we are the youngest team in the league.  All of us can see it.  Lets try to stay optimistic.  The injuries are tough, no doubt about it.  But there is depth.  There is a plan.  The roster is stacked.  So buck up.  The season is not over.  An era is beginning.  This old Jet fan knows it.

Nobody wants to play us.

 

[clayton163v]

I decided to necro this post.  Written after Black Sunday.  I stand by  every word. 

Nobody wants to play us.