Seeing the NFL sack leaders on sportscenter made me think of this. It's pretty depressing, thinking back on our past 10 seasons, that management has completely failed to secure anyone who could get after the QB. We have not had a single defender in the top 15 in sacks since Shaun Ellis in 2004.
The Jets like to "synthesize" pressure and confuse the QB. Instead of sacking the QB the jets want the QB to fear the sack is coming. They may not be sacking QB's - but they sure as hell aren't doing much else.
Evaluating our DEs and OLBs by number of sacks is much less ridiculous than rating the caliber of DBs by interceptions. Sure pass-rush pressure is most important, but sacks should be a byproduct of pass-rush. We obviously have neither. I'm sure we'd be doing poorly in the "QB Hurries" stat category too if they kept track of it.
What is amazing that this is a Rex Ryan defense performing poorly. Would you have thought that 2 years ago? I expected it would be tough playing aginst the Jets defense when he was hired and initially it was. Even then there was a lot of pressure but not many sacks. Now, not so much.
What I don't understand is where has the "psycho" defensive philosophy that we had in 2009, been? In 2010, we got lucky in a handful of games, just shouldn't have been where we were in December, and now in 2011 and this season, we are just an inconsistent bowl of suckitude. What I don't understand is in 2009 we had the same amount of shitty pass rushers, if not fewer, and yet we always got to the QB. Where are the misaligned blitzes? Where are the safety blitzes? CB blitzes? Anything? Buehler? Buehler?
I think 2 things happened. 1) Kris Jenkins' knee exploded. It's a lot easier to get pressure when you have a pass rushing NT that requires at least 2 blockers at all times. 2) Rex turtled up when the Patriots exposed the Jets blitz scheme in 2010 to the tune of 45-3. It seems like he's been very hesitant to do it much since then.
Even with Jenkins missing most of 2009 they still employed the same schemes and you're spot on with the second point, but playing scared will never win you a thing. If Rex thinks he has the horses at OLB to get to the QB, he's dumber than I thought. Total frustration. And we know this team will find a way to go 5-3 in the second half to get to 8-8 and just miss out on the playoffs, giving some false hope for next season. I just wish they'd go 4-12 and things would change, and if Rex refuses to make a change at QB, he can be one of the changes. His schtick is wearing thin.
If I had to pick only one reason, I'd go with your #2. When Brady/Pats exposed the Jets schemes, the entire league paid attention & Ryan had to adjust. That's the tough thing about this league, just one team exposes you anytime in the season & you could spent forever trying to readjust. That crazy blitz from all directions style in the early Rex years might be gone forever. ==== I still think Rex will build a very good D. It's just going to be done in a different manner though & not look like the first defensive schemes he brought to the Jets. He's got young, talented DL & elite CB duo. There's enough foundation there for me to believe Rex can get it done on that side of the ball. As far as offense .... well that's another argument already handled in about 76,252 other threads on the front page of this forums.
Ghost pick blew up - and hence the result. At least, blame this one on the scouting department (or Mangini), not the GM. If I had my gripe, it is that Jets just do not draft with their 2-4 round picks consistently - that's where the starter quality bodies (including pass rushing OLBs and safeties) come from. So if THAT is what you are going after, then sure. Tannenbaum did a miserable job in that regard. But don't think Jets did nothing to address pass rushing issue through the draft. They tried.
Looks like the Herm Edwards regime inherited rookies Shaun Ellis, John Abraham and drafted Bryan Thomas (bust passrush wise). Mangini regime drafted Gholston (bust) and RR regime has gone with Coples (tbd). They've all drafted passrushers in the first round, just haven't come close to hitting. The one constant is Terry Bradway.
Er I guess U never saw RR dad also a great DC full of bluster, made lots of headlines but his record in winning anything as a HC was a big fat zero. RR apple is exactly the same having not rolled far enough away from his dad's tree :sad:
At some point this has to go back to Bradway. Jets seem to always lack play makers. They don't have alot of liabilities on their roster which is a good thing..but they don't draft anybody that can step up & make those 2-3 big plays to win you games. I think they put too much of an emphasis on prospects being "well rounded" & have gone too far w/ building a cold weather roster. What you get is a big strong physical roster..but very little in terms of explosion,skill & speed. Last year's draft they started to sway away from that. We'll see if it continues.
I miss the 'band of lunatics' wandering around just before the ball was hiked....the QB had no clue who to point to or where all hell was coming from. Those were the days!
The Jets defense looking bad is a symptom of the offense and the special teams playing like total shit. The Jets defense has done "enough" to win in every single game this season except the 49ers game. The linebackers are putrid and need to go but otherwise the defense has been the most solid unit on the team by far. Cromartie has been incredible and Mo Wilk / DeVito / Coples have done a very good job so far. Rex has also done a great job getting production out of nobodies at CB.
Jets roster, as it is, has a few critical liabilities. 1. The most glaring of all is the LB corps. DL isn't too spectacular but they will turn it around within a year or two, under Dunbar's guidance. LB corp? I do not think that is the case. I do not think Bob Sutton can help the LBs in any way possible. In fact, I do not think Jets had formidable LB corp in the recent memory - that is, including Parcells days. Jets LBs as of late sure wasn't anything to write home about. I happen to think Sutton is to blame there. Of course, he is not entirely to blame - I also happen to think that Jets drafted very poorly when it comes to LBs. (Anthony Schlegel, Ghost - need I say more?) So this is a product of very poor drafting AND coaching. 2. OL: It has regressed beyond recognition. And the depth behind is completely pitiful. This is, again, a product of poor drafting AND poor coaching. 3. Secondaries: You KNOW Jets need fresh blood on that position. Jets have lucked out on Landry, but you don't know how long he will hold up. Bell looks like he could use any relief replacement as soon as possible. It's clear by now that Kyle Wilson is a miserable failure in terms of drafting a CB. 1st round pick that cannot step up in times of adversity - just what you are looking for, right? Had it not been for Cro, this back 4 would have looked like a total shamble. (Kudos to Tannenbaum for this trade at least.) 4. Backfield: This is a ground-and-pound team that cannot produce anything with half semblance of running threat. RBs and FBs suck - and now add the ailing OL, and you get ground-and-pounded running game that is going nowhere. Ever since Thomas Jones was let go, his suitable replacement never came in form of draft prospect. If Jets drafted a decent young back after Jones was offloaded, he could have had a few years of experience under his belt as a starter. Instead, that opportunity went in Tomlinson's way. (And I thought I was stupid at one time.) 5. WR corp: I will say nothing until that fucknut Holmes is offloaded once and for all. This WR corp is in total disarray. (At least they drafted Hill.) Ah, TE spot looks like it's in shambles too. 6. About being explosive; I do not see any connection between being an explosive team and being all-weather team. These two qualities are not mutually exclusive. Especially on defense. Ok. Steelers D is NOW old, but recall a few years back - they have almost as brutal weather as Jets do, but their defense didn't flinch much in terms of 1. getting to the QBs, 2. stuffing the run. Or the offense? They were pretty explosive while quite effective on the ground as well. It's simple as that - Jets 1. do not draft well and 2. do not raise their talents well. These two are always a killer combination that will mire any franchise into mediocrity.
