Passing game on 1st down needs to get better. Sanchez was 3/8 on first down passing plays. Only Jamarcus Russell was worse. Our first down passing put us in some bad 3rd down situations. Luckily Sanchez was able to complete some passes and pick up 1st downs (3 FDs on 7 attempts from 3rd and 3 - 7 and 5 FDs on 7 attempts on 3rd and 8+). He will not have that kind of success against the Patriots. I would imagine the Pats will work on defending the screen passes, but that doesn?t mean we shouldn?t try them. We also need to do a better job running the football on 1st down. We gained only 40 yards on first down carries. Simply put, Sanchez did a good job managing the 3rd downs, but we cannot continue to put him in 3rd and mid to long situations?certainly not against the Patriots. Most importantly for us to maintain long drives to keep the Pats defense on the field. The lack of leadership they now have in their defense could provide a HUGE opportunity for us and we need to take advantage of it. Wear down Wilfork, and keep the defense on the field.
Two things. 1) I think a lot of Sanchez' struggles on early downs had to do with it being his first game. I assume he'll do much better as he gets more snaps under his belt. 2) The Texans were stacking the shit out of the box and selling out on the run for most of that game until they realized they had to respect Sanchez throwing the ball. Once they backed off we punched them in the mouth with the run. I suspect both of these things will improve as the season progresses so long as Sanchez continues to improve.
well put murrell...one of the most telling behind the scene stats for a defense and conversely an offense is first down production. i would bet the pats have been near the top of the league the last few years in 1st down defense, simply measured by the number of 2nd and longs the opposition has. jil
Sanchez will be a work in progress for at least the first 8 games. That's why nobody expects much from the Jets this year. He should continue to get better as the year goes on.
it seemed like we were running a lot on first down, and in the first half we were repeatedly getting stuffed. it opened up in the 2nd half however.
Need to find a team that respects the pass to open up the run. In time maybe it will happen. HOPEFULLY IT HAPPENS.
I don't really like the idea of passing on first down with a rookie quarterback, simply because there is no way Sanchez is going to be as good against the better secondaries on third down. Running on first down might be predictable, but it puts you in a better position on second and third down, with more options. First down incompletions are drive killers. I think our running game right now is our greatest strength, and we need to take advantage of it. I'm hoping the Jets activate Shonn Greene this week. -X-
I agree with the OP. However... I feel much better having a rookie quarterback who does well on third down and struggles on first and second than one who makes completions on early downs but chokes on third.
The thing is, we can't expect to win this weekend if we're in similar positions on 3rd down against the Pats.
I agree, it was encouraging that he was so dominant on third down, but you're talking about a pretty league average to bottom secondary with Dunta Robinson coming off a holdout and a few guys not playing. He almost has nowhere to go but down, and certainly against a defensive mind like Belichick and savvy corners like Bodden and Springs. I think we're built for a more conservative approach and we should make it as easy for him as possible, not putting him in third and longs as often as we did last week. It's a percentages game. -X-
Yep, you're both right. I'd like to see the first play of the game be a surefire completion. Doesn't have to get a first down, just draw something up so Mark can start the game 1-1.
Yeah, just something that can give us more 3rd and short than 3rd and mid to long situations. Give us the opportunity to mix up the playcalling and not put so much on the rookie against a very smart defensive coach like Belichick.
1st down wasn't particularly bad in terms of overall numbers on Sunday. Going into the 4th quarter the Jets had 18 1st down plays run for 60 yards, which left them an average of 2nd and 6 to 7, which is not a terrible place to be. The problem was that in the 18 plays they had 8 short rushes (less than 3 yards), 4 incompletions and a penalty. That more than anything else is why they kept getting put in the 3rd and longs that Sanchez converted. The Jets ran 11 times and passed 6 times on 1st down with one false start penalty on the day. Looking back at the play by play chart the Jets got VERY fortunate on Sunday. If Sanchez had had just an average day on 3rd down the Jets are looking at a 10-7 game after he throws the pick, or maybe even 7-3 Texans, and who knows where things wind up. They're going to have to open things up more on 1st down and throw the ball some. The 2 to 1 ratio of runs to throws on 1st down last Sunday is probably going to cause problems against a Belichik defense that will adapt on the fly.
Yea you know they were going to run a lot on first down and Texas was effective on stopping it for the most part. A successful running game will lead to a successful passing game and visa-versa. They need to get those 4-6 yard runs on 1st down.
I think our 1st down rushing put us in bad spots mroe than the passing. Houston was ready for the run on 1st down and we weren't getting much setting up 2nd and longs.
We need less TJ up the gut on !st. We do need to establish the run to give respect for the pass. Maybe more creative running calls, give the ball right away to SG early in the game to get BB thinking twice, them hit him with some agressive LW, TJ calls.......
We completed 3 passes on 1st down. We didn't pass enough, but when we do we need to have high percentage pass plays called for now until Sanchez gets his feet under him.
If Nick Mangold handles Vince Wilfork, the middle of the field will be wide open... I see the Pats playing a lot of 4-3 with Mayo out - so if T-Rich can make it to the next level and put a hit on Guyton and/or Alexander, our running backs will make it into the secondary more than enough.
