The Cardinals had scored 24+ points 6 times in 9 games, getting out to 8-1, before Carson Palmer got hurt. You can't use them as a guideline for the Jets because they wouldn't have made the playoffs without the strong offense at the start of the season. They limped home 3-4 after the offense went south.
Red zone efficiency will make or break this team. Geno went 3-10 as a starter last season, but 7 games were 1 score losses and another was a 1 score game against the Broncos until a garbage time pick 6. Why did Geno essentially lose 8 one score games? The Jets converted 36.17% of red zone drives into touchdowns, easily the worst in the NFL. If the team was marginally better in the red zone and converted even half of the one score games into wins, Geno could have gone 7-6 as a starter. The Bears, Vikings, Dolphins and both Patriots games could easily have been won if the offense didn't turn the ball over or stall inside of the red zone. It's on everybody, though. A lot of offensive line penalties ruined red zone drives. Dropped balls. Sacks. Miscommunications. There needs to be more red zone discipline if this is going to be a winning football team. If not, Fitzpatrick will find his way onto the field. Even with our defense, it'll be hard to bludgeon teams to death with field goals. If I had to pick a second emphasis, it would be takeaways. The average offensive starting field position last year was the 27.72 yard line, 25th in the league. The defense wasn't doing good job of setting the offense up to score. We have to focus on complementary football, good defense should take the burden off the offense.
definitely need more takeaways. it was unreal last season how bad they were at creating turnovers. its unlikely to believe though that they couldn't create more turnovers this year just on a statistical basis. Couple that with a Coach who's always had defenses that create turnovers and acquiring the best corner in the league and its likely we see an improvement in that area this year
But, the defense and special teams were consistently giving us good field position. We were however 17th in Total Offense in '09 and 13th in Total Offense in '10, so when it boils down to it you are right . . . If we have a competent offense, with our D playing at top of the league level, we should be in great shape.
Having a competent offense will put us right back where we were in 2009 and 2010: making the playoffs and then getting beat by a better overall team. The Jets need to find a real offense. In 2011 Chan Gailey and Ryan Fitzpatrick combined to boost the Bills offense up to 2009 to 2011 Jet levels. So if Fitzpatrick winds up being the QB there are parallels to 2009 and 2010 and a very possible Jets playoff run. There's very little chance that the Jets get over the hump even with those two though. If the Jets want to make a Super Bowl run with this team in the next couple of years trading for a high impact QB is the way to go. Get the equivalent of Brett Favre in here to complement a talent base that is mostly ready right now and will be over the hill in a couple of years. If they start Geno Smith then we're praying for a miracle. If the miracle doesn't materialize then the Jets are drafting a QB next year and will not be in the SB conversation in 2016 with a rookie and then in 2017 the old dudes are going to melt away, just like they did the last time.
You can get far in the playoffs with a rookie QB. It's happened many times. Obviously depends on if we keep Mo or who stays and who goes the next year. If Geno can play like Mark did in 2010, I think we can do some major damage this season. Our defense could be better now then in 2010.
The Jets have a glut on the defensive line. It is what it is. I wouldn't have been all-in on the idea of trading for a veteran QB if the Jets off-season didn't go the way it did. This team got older in key areas and spent a lot of cap space while doing that. We've now got at least one defensive lineman who is likely too expensive to keep at a reasonable deal and certainly too pricey at a top of the market one. Are we really better off trying to figure out how to get Wilkerson, Richardson, Harrison and Williams on the field this year and in 2016 with Wilkerson franchised or in getting the best value we can right now to avoid the glut and repurpose cap dollars in a more rational way on the team? We've got a glut of CB's also at this point. Are we really better off keeping Dee Milliner through a period in which he is unlikely to find his way on the field when we've also got Revis, Cromartie, Skrine and all the young guys who looked like they had some upside last year? Shouldn't we be approaching the teams who have potentially available good QB's and finding out if there is a package they will take to give us a high quality QB to play alongside Revis, the other CB's, the offensive linemen in their primes right now and whoever we choose to keep out of that deep talented pool on the defensive line?
I'd take Brees if he was willing to come over and actually QB us for a few years and I'd take Rivers also if that was what was available and if Rivers was committed to winning a ring here before he retired to Tennessee in a couple of seasons.
I want a championship. You can't win a championship with a rookie QB or at least nobody has yet done it in the 50 or so years people have been trying.
Teams have gotten to conference championship games with rookie QBs; never say never. Flacco, Russell Wilson, Big Ben have won some big games as rookie QBs. Don't forget Sanchez. Even so, that 2nd year is when a lot of QBs smelled SB appearance. It's going to be the only way the Jets get there unless they can get R. Wilson, Kaep or Rivers if you are talking veteran QB. I want to win too, Jets would be the team to win it all unconventionally.
During Rex's tenure, we had two seasons where we had a positive turnover differential - I bet you can guess which two seasons those were.
Nice post. Reminds me of my exact thoughts last year with Ivory, Powell,and Chris Johnson. I thought well Geno just has to hand off to them and we move the ball. Of course, that didn't really win games. Plus, once defenses load the box this will dramatically lower yards per carry. You need someone who can make a few throws. Thus.. #s 3,4 and 7 are really all on Geno so you keep your fingers crossed. IMO having a healthy Fitz improves this equation.
