o-line went from one of our biggest strengths to one of our biggest weaknesses. not many RB's , outside of the elite , can look good with poor blocking.
In the sense that Ivory and the run game will bounce back, I'm not discouraged either. What does discourage me though is that we have an injury-prone back being blasted behind the line 20 times a game - would rather see him on the sidelines and healthy when the OL is playing like this
Oline needs to open up holes and we need to stop running on the first play of every drive. Or basically every first down.
Nothing wrong with Ivory and nothing wrong with the O-line. You have to realize there is a team on the other side of the ball with coaches and coordinators that get paid about the same amount of money the Jets CS gets paid and their objective is to win as well. When you game plan for the other team you have to identify your opponents strongest players and understand that these are the guys you need to contain to win. It is no secret to beat the Jets you have to stop Ivory and that's what teams are doing, or at least trying to do. Basically, teams are saying we are going to stop Ivory (if we can) and to beat us you'll have to do it with your other guys. That's what happened today. The Jets won because the offense was able to compensate for the lack of a running game by throwing the ball.......but just barely. Not going to be so easy against Buffalo.
People fail to realize that running backs need the o line to open up holes for them to run through.....
Part of it is definitely the Oline shitting the bed. But he has been able to bounce outside at times and he just doesn't have that second gear he had early in the season. He gets caught immediately. The hamstring he pulled against the Redskins is still a problem. This is why his durability issues keep him from being a full time back. They do need to give some carries to Ridley, although Ridley is an inside runner and I doubt he'd make a lot of difference with the shit blocking.
Most of it is the Olines fault but Ivory has also lost a step as well. He doesnt have that burst that he had earlier in the year. He is a step slow especially when trying to cut to the outside and gets tripped up far too easily. Ivory is definitely not 100% right now.
Hard to get anything going when you're hit behind the line every play. There's nothing he can really do. It's the same Ivory. Look at him on receptions when he has at least a little room in front of him. He has the same burst and ability to make his own yards, but you can only make so many when you get hit behind the line. I wouldn't say he's running out of steam. I'd say the o-line can't move people and every team we play is keying on the run because that's how you beat us. Everyone has us figured out. Stop Ivory and you have your best chance. It's been like that for years now. Stop the run game and you'll win. The only difference now is we have adequate QB play and we're talented at WR, so we're still able to put up points without getting the run game going. Still, we're much better when Ivory can get at least two yards downfield without being hit.
Although I was pleasantly surprised that Leonard Williams was available when we picked, Gurley was the player I was pounding the table for here only to be told that it is stupid to draft a RB in the first round. Also, despite a good prognosis from doctors, a lot of people on this board thought he would be fragile. Now he looks like Eric Dickerson playing in that Rams uniform.
The argument that teams are now keying on ivory doesn't hold water. No reason they wouldn't have been keying on him any less on opening day. The book is way open on every player on the jets offense as well as Chan Gailey in general. It's not like defenses were scared shitless of Fitzpatrick at any point. Ivory's not healthy. The line isn't healthy. Pretty simple.
Do you repeat this line each week for every rookie that is doing well? Let me help you with a template: In hindsight, Jets should've drafted [insert rookie name].
besides the fact that our o-line is banged up and D'Brick has fallen off drastically , teams are respecting the hell out of Ivory and sitting on top of the run. Chan needs to utilize Ivory in the screen game much more often. Also until the maulers are back on the o-line we should spread teams out a lot more. give Fitz a ton of options out in space and i trust he'll make the right choice (see that 45 yard pass catch n run to cumberland)
The fact Ivory is not breaking one on one tackles by defensive backs is a cause of concern beyond the O line issues. This has been the pattern to Ivory's career.
I don't think he ran out of steam. he's too young and not enough carries. I don't think the O Line is makin the holes in the run game.
I think it has to do more with Mangold. On some of the dive/blast plays he was getting hit at the line, if you saw Ivory in space he had some juice.
