Well, another week and yet another blow out loss. This time it was the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team that most of us thought in off season the Jets would easily beat . The team with an average offensive line that was still able to constantly open holes for RB Fred Taylor who ran for 142 yards on 21 carries, and scored one touchdown. RB Stacey Mack added 70 more, and for the second week in a row the Jets allowed over 200 yards on the ground. Jaguars' QB Mark Brunell did not look spectacular, but his ability was just enough to complement the power rushing attack, that same rushing attack that Jets' head coach Herman Edwards has promised us basically every week this season.
The Jets? They were absent on the field for the third week in a row. Once again they couldn't tackle anybody, they couldn't cover, they couldn't convert third downs, they didn't force any turnovers, they were outcoached and outplayed!
QB Vinny Testaverde suffered an injury on the second Jets' possession, and did not return. He was replaced by Chad Pennington, who played relatively well, completing 21 of his 34 passes for 281 yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception. WR Wayne Chrebet bruised his leg late in the second half, leaving the Jets with only three wide receivers. WR Laveranues Coles had a solid game, as he caught 8 passes for 97 yards. The ground game was nonexistent again, but this time it was mostly because the Jets fell back early and were playing catch-up for the rest of the game. RB Curtis Martin started despite his bad ankle and was able to gain 44 yards on 8 carries. RB LaMont Jordan surely looks more and more fumble prone. He lost a fumble against the Bills in week 1, and today he lost another one on the Jaguars' one yard line. Another Jordan's fumble was recovered by Kevin Mawae.
Jets defense? There's nothing much to say here. They gave up 72 yards on the very first Jacksonville play and allowed the first touchdown with only 1:30 into the game. Once again there was no visible pass-rush, which allowed Brunell to sit in the pocket and pick the Jets\' secondary apart. The linebackers, those same linebackers that were supposed to be among the best in the league, looked slow and lost. Mo Lewis recorded just one tackle in the entire game, Marvin Jones had 5, and Sam Cowart added 4. FS Damien Robinson led the Jets with 8 tackles, and when your safety leads the team in tackles, it has to tell you something...
It sure looks now like this season is very much over. As much as I defended Testaverde all these years, now I think that he should be benched (he was 0 of 4 before he got injured) and let the Pennington era begin. It's now quite clear that all the free agent acquisitions that the Jets made on defense did not pay out. Neither Josh Evans nor Larry Webster can stop the run, Sam Garnes is just too slow and does not have Victor Green's big play capability, Sam Cowart is just a shadow of his former self. Steve White? Why did they sign him in the first place? Donnie Abraham and Aaron Beasley? Can they cover anybody? I don't mean Jimmy Smith or Eric Moulds, I mean ANYBODY!
Draft picks? Bryan Thomas is still far from being an NFL caliber player, TE
Chris Baker hasn't been active for a single game this season, and the same goes for DT Alan Parker. It's obvious that J.P. Machado isn't getting the job done at left guard, then why doesn't Herm try rookie Jonathan Goodwin instead? What's to lose there? This offensive line is terrible anyway, it can't get much worse. Jon McGraw is the only bright spot on this rookie core, but stubborn, clueless Edwards prefers his Tamp Bay buddy Damien "The Bushmaster" Robinson!
Herman Edwards brought in physical, as he said, corners to play cover-2 but their lack of speed forces them to give 10+ yard cushions, which completely opens up the short passing attack. This coaching staff cannot make any adjustments during the game, they are afraid to use their young players, they are afraid to lose, afraid of the pressure. They are incompetent!
Woody, please, turn this franchise around, fire Herm and his buddies! We, Jets fans, have been suffering for so long....