The Warfish Mini-Review: Jets Vs. Packers

[Warfish]

Not alot to say this week. The Packers, and Brett Favre, are not a good football team. They are not an average football team. They are a very very bad football team, and lived up to that today. Perspective must take this into account regarding today's success.

With that said, it was a VERY enjoyable game to watch. Seeing my beloved Jets absolutely dominate another team....on the legendary "Frozen Tundra" and in the SNOW (well, light flurries) no less, is a WONDERFUL feeling! I am sure you all will agree.

Positives:

--The O-line again played excellent football. The vast wisdom of selecting the Brick and Mangold this draft is clearly paying dividends. Finally, a regime who knows football games are won in the trenches.

--Cedric Houston and Leon Washington. What many of us (including me) said in pre-season is what was right all along...these two ARE the right choise for our running game. Barlow? Blaylock? Wastes. To Mangini's eternal credit, he saw the error of his ways, and instead of sticking to his guns, played the right players. The running game will onlyimprove with Houston and Washinton this season.

--The Defense, especially D-Rob, Thomas, Hobson, Rhodes and Coleman. Excellent play vs. a weak opponent. All played very well and made large contributions today. Instead of Jets D's of yore, who would flex too much vs. sorry no-account offenses, this Jets D bore down and really held the screws to Favre and Co. Still giving up too much and too often on the ground, but improving slightly in my view. We're still one great run-stopping DT and a dedicated pass rushing D-end from having a truly great line, buit we've got a great base in place, and seeing D-Rob improve is really quite nice.

--Chad Pennington. For the most part, was excellent today. He is not, nor will he ever be perfect. His arm is weak (as seen on the bad INT on the long pass) and he rattles very easily under hard dedicated blitzing. But when he had time today, he tore apart the Green Bay D. Definitely one of his better days in 2006, INT's be damned. Or playoff chances rest on him being able to carve up the remaining weak teams on our schedule. Hopefully, he will not wilt vs. the much tougher Miami and Buffalo D's. But he gave reason today for optimism.

Negatives:

--Schlagel. Two plays were I saw him, both bad. To be fair, the onsides was a poor call.....before the ball got to Schlagel and the Packer in front of him, it glanced off the shoulder of another Packer. The Refs never even looked, nor did the CBS coverage. And I see why he made the effort, the ball was very very very close to the 10 yard limit, and he was being aggressive trying to save the ball. So even his negative really wasn't too bad.

--Nugents Kickoffs. These are a REAL negative, and MUST improve. All day the PAck were catching the kickoff between the 20 and 30 yard lines. Weather and wind be damned, that is pathetic. HE is kicking FG's much better these days, but his kickoffs must improve, or it will huant us at some point.

--The onsides kick. Jets didn't seem ready for it, and they should have been. Minor complaint (see above for why), but still. I have come to expect better from a Mangini Coached team (and that IS a compliment, trust me).

EDIT: One last "negative", and this is a personal thing. When I see us up by multiple TD's and cruising late int he fourth quarter, I really prefer to see our starting QB taken out. Mangini, clearly, does not work that way. Personally, I see the risk of leaving Chad in for garbage time is NOT worth whatever gain Mangini thinks he is getting. I'd much rather see Clemens hand off the last 5 minutes of a blowout, than Chad. Luck and fate and karma are a real cast iron *****, and maybe it's just being a Jets fan as long as I have been.....but I don't tempt fate when it comes to Chad. Winning by 4 TD's with 6 minutes left? Go to the Rookie, and let Chad stay safely on the pine, healthy and ready for next week.

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The Jets played a very bad team on the road, and dominted them almost from start to finish. As they should. Preseason predictions or not, this is a very well coached and schemed Jets team, with alot more talent than most experts (and many fans, even me) gave them credit for. We may not be eleite, or even great, but we can and should be a very good team. And with this schedule remaining, a playoff team.

The Jets now have Buffalo, Minny, Miami and the Raiduh's left. Three will still be very hard games, and even the hated Raiders always sem to play us tough. So the road, while looking easy as hell, isn't.....and anyone who has watched the Jets for more than a few years KNOWS how hard even a down Division Rival can be.

But today was a great and entertaining game, and gives us some very real reason for optimism. While this IS the Not For Long (NFL) league, and we could go out and lay a fat season killing egg next week vs. Buffalo, I have to have ope that our chances for a playoff berth is looking very good today.

So enjoy the win, bask in the glow of a dominanting performance, and lets see how the Jets do in their REAL first big challenge to make the playoffs.....the Buffalo Bills next week.

J....E.....T....S...JETS! JETS! JETS

[GimmeShelter]

Fish never misses a oppurtunity to take a back hand comment on our QB.

Still smarting over the whole Ramsey thing huh.

[Warfish]

Fish never misses a oppurtunity to take a back hand comment on our QB.

Still smarting over the whole Ramsey thing huh.

Not even a little.

Not even slightly remotely in the tinyest recesses of my brain.

Being wrong can be damn pleasing sometimes. DAMN pleasing.

[#27TheDominator]

Have to figure the coaching staff doesn't feel that Clemens is ready. If not he wouldn't be the #3 and inactive. Yes they can use him, but then the other 2 can't be used again. I don't see any reason to throw Ramsey out there.

Not sure about the ball hitting the Packers shoulder, but I'm 100% sure that CBS showed the play 54 times and at most twice showed it pass the up man.

I understand your crack about a 3 man line needing 2 players to be good, but there will not be any pass rushing end. It'll be some thin tweener college DE/OLB along the lines of what Bryan Thomas was supposed to be.

I issue an apology to Sperm and anybody else who was very high on Houston. I liked Houston coming out and thought he was a steal in the draft, but he has outperformed my expectations. I didn't want him being the #1 and so far so good with him getting carries.

[Preston Howley III]

You get handed lemons, make lemonade.

With Herm, it was all about Kool Aid (he stole that from me, by the way). With Mangini, it's all about lemonade.

Every "expert" and "prognosticator" has been proven wrong. Examples:

We won't win more than 5 or six games; Pennington will never recover from two shoulder surgeries; the Jets will get worse without Curtis Martin, John Abraham, Kevin Mawae and Ty Law; Mangini is all hype; We don't have the personnel to run a 34 defense; we should have drafted Matt Leinfart.... on and on and on.

ALL WRONG. EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM.

I love it. And it's only going to get better.

[Warfish]

I don't see any reason to throw Ramsey out there.

I completely agree. Playing Ramsey does it very little good. Playing Clemens however, is smart coaching. Limit risk, maximize rookie experience. When up 4 TD's with 6 minutes left and you're D is playing very well....there is almost no risk at all.

But as I said, that is a very minor issue. Overall, was a great day, great day!

[GimmeShelter]

You get handed lemons, make lemonade.

With Herm, it was all about Kool Aid (he stole that from me, by the way). With Mangini, it's all about lemonade.

Every "expert" and "prognosticator" has been proven wrong. Examples:

We won't win more than 5 or six games; Pennington will never recover from two shoulder surgeries; the Jets will get worse without Curtis Martin, John Abraham, Kevin Mawae and Ty Law; Mangini is all hype; We don't have the personnel to run a 34 defense; we should have drafted Matt Leinfart.... on and on and on.

ALL WRONG. EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM.

I love it. And it's only going to get better.

Yep and with another Skins loss today that 2nd round pick should be pretty early in the round.

We didn't have to trade our #1 WR for it either.

[Preston Howley III]

Yep and with another Skins loss today that 2nd round pick should be pretty early in the round.

We didn't have to trade our #1 WR for it either.

It just gets better and better.

[vinnys025]

I still think Chad does hold back this offense a bit to where it could be. Call me crazy, but I call it how I see it.

[JetCane]

I still think Chad does hold back this offense a bit to where it could be. Call me crazy, but I call it how I see it.

Right now he gives the team the best chance to win

[#27TheDominator]

I still think Chad does hold back this offense a bit to where it could be. Call me crazy, but I call it how I see it.

OK, you're crazy!

I'm a pretty big Penny fan, but of course he holds the offense back. The deep ball is limited and there are sections of the field where even if Schotty calls plays Pennington probably isn't going to throw the ball unless somebody is WIDE open.

[Bugg]

I still think Chad does hold back this offense a bit to where it could be. Call me crazy, but I call it how I see it.

It may be true, but it's not important. Mangini and Schottenheimer call plays and tailor their scheme to what Pennington does well. It may not work every week, but 7 wins speaks volumes. We had numerous people saying this team would be lucky to win 3 games. If there comes a time next camp that they figure Clemens can do the job, so be it. For now the Jets can only worry about the task at hand. And this CS has kept them remarkbly focused.

We had a guy for 5 years that never hesitated to find some BS excuse when and where ever possible. The new boss is not the old boss.

[Maxman]

Warfish -- This is the mini-review? Let me know when you publish the full blown version, I will have to up our bandwidth, lol.

The Offensive Line is getting better. Much better. A lot is happening because of that. Chad is more confident in the pocket. Also the backs have gotten much better at blocking. Early in the year that was a disaster. Houston had at least 2 really good blocks today.

The defense has improved so much in the last few weeks. It really doesn't seem like the same group of guys out there.

Coaching -- good coaching. What a difference it makes!

[Preston Howley III]

Coaching -- good coaching. What a difference it makes!

Bryan Thomas, Jerricho Cotchery, and DeWayne Robertson have been on this team for 3 years. You wouldn't know it until now that these guys can play football in the NFL.

I'm damn proud of this team.

Mangini clearly knows his sh*t.

[Maxman]

Bryan Thomas, Jerricho Cotchery, and DeWayne Robertson have been on this team for 3 years. You wouldn't know it until now that these guys can play football in the NFL.

I'm damn proud of this team.

Mangini clearly knows his sh*t.

Was it Boozer that wrote that last week? About being proud?

It is so true though. They are so well coached. The don't hurt themselves. They play so damn hard. All I can think while watching it is they do make you proud.

[bitonti]

im tired of people critiquing Nugents kickoff length

wake up the guy obviously has the leg to kick it further (he did get one down to the 5 yard line yesterday), but westy is asking for loft instead of distance and it's working from a coverage perspective.

take a look at both of millers KR TDs the guy got it in the endzone. More distance actually favors the returner! it means a chance to field the ball and view upfield to look at and pick a hole.

[nj meadowlands]

The onside kick did not touch a Packer before it touched Schlegel.

[Maxman]

im tired of people critiquing Nugents kickoff length

wake up the guy obviously has the leg to kick it further (he did get one down to the 5 yard line yesterday), but westy is asking for loft instead of distance and it's working from a coverage perspective.

take a look at both of millers KR TDs the guy got it in the endzone. More distance actually favors the returner! it means a chance to field the ball and view upfield to look at and pick a hole.

Well the week before they let him kickoff straight and the results were pretty good. As long as he has the leg for a 53 yard field goal I can live with it.

Quietly -- Nugent is putting together a pretty good year!

[#27TheDominator]

Warfish -- This is the mini-review? Let me know when you publish the full blown version, I will have to up our bandwidth, lol.

The Offensive Line is getting better. Much better. A lot is happening because of that. Chad is more confident in the pocket. Also the backs have gotten much better at blocking. Early in the year that was a disaster. Houston had at least 2 really good blocks today.

The defense has improved so much in the last few weeks. It really doesn't seem like the same group of guys out there.

Coaching -- good coaching. What a difference it makes!

I like the direction the team is going in, but we shouldn't forget these were the Packers and Titans. Just like we shouldn't forget it was the Bears that manhandled our O.

[Gibbon]

Warfish:

Great Review.

I agree with you about the onside kick. I thought it hit one of the Packers a lot closer to the kicker than the guy Schlegel hit.The only thing Schlegel should have done differently was kept his hands inside. If he doesnt hit the guy the ball goes the 10 yds and the Packers recover the ball in better field position. I confess to not being completely up on the rules regarding reviewable plays, but since the call of the field was a penalty, shouldnt that play have been unreviewable?