The New York Jets won their game last week in Toronto against the Buffalo Bills. We are still in the playoff hunt. It's a slim chance, and we still have to win our last four games, starting with Tampa Bay on Sunday.
There was a lot of hoopla about Mark Sanchez not sliding to protect himself. In order to stress the importance, the Jets had brought in Yankees manager Joe Girardi to help with some pointers. During the game, however, with the first chance to show the world that he is learning, Mark opted to dive for the first down instead. A few minutes later, he left the game with a knee injury and never came back.
There's some controversy about whether he did the right thing or not. That he simply being competitive, because if he played it safe, they would have to punt the ball and give it to the other team. But they had the lead and the defense was playing great. If he didn't get hurt, he would have had more chances for touchdowns.
Back-up QB Kellen Clemens took over for him. He showed extreme caution with the ball, and actually had a nice throw to Jerricho Cotchery for a first down. Kellen took a couple of sacks and a fumble, but he didn't turn the ball over.
There's some controversy about Kellen's play also. He looked pretty bad out there, and some fans would argue that he seemed lost and unprepared. I thought that myself at first. But I've changed my mind since then. Firstly, Head Coach Rex Ryan gave Clemens a game ball after the game. What is there to reward for his performance? I think it was because Kellen ate the ball and swallowed his pride. He took it for the team. He looked bad out there, but he followed the directive of not turning the ball over.
Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer also affirmed that with the lead and the defense playing great, they decided to be conservative with the playcalling. He also stated that Kellen is always prepared for each game. And he explained that the one fumble had to do with the simple fact that his cadence is different than Mark's. It's not an excuse, of course, but I do think that it wasn't totally Kellen's fault.
Anyways, I think Kellen will open up the eyes of Jets fans this coming Sunday and turn heads from other teams looking for a QB next year.
Meanwhile, Free Safety Kerry Rhodes might end up with another team next year. He just doesn't seem to fit the Rex Ryan defense. He was demoted a couple weeks ago. But then he actually came up with two interceptions during the game. Some would argue that he simply happened to be at the right place at the right time. In the same game, his replacement Eric Smith played hard and hit hard. It's fun watching him and Jim Leonhard out there. They are a couple of tackling machines. They personify "Mean Green."
Yesterday, Kerry had a little incident with Defensive Backs coach Dennis Thurman. Some reports have him yelling at the coach, while Kerry says it was just a talk. I don't know exactly what happened, but I'm inclined to think Kerry won't be back with the Jets next year. He simply doesn't seem to be adjusting to his new defense and his new role.
I really like Eric Smith. I think this will be like the same situation when Jonathan Vilma had a tough time adjusting to former HC Eric Mangini's defense. Back-up David Harris stepped up and is playing great at linebacker. Meanwhile, Vilma has been flourishing in his kind of system with the New Orleans Saints this year. Hmm, maybe Kerry Rhodes will end up joining him there next year.
Okay, that's it for now. Maybe I'll post something tomorrow. Or maybe not. We'll see.
'Til next time, FLY HIGH N.Y.!!! Let's go Jets!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment