Ok, we're at the halfway mark and all things considered the Jets are doing surprisingly well under the new regime. I figured now was a good time to look at the bright spots and shadows of the first half of the season. 5 people that have made a big difference for the Jets on the positive side: 1. Laveranues Coles. Coles has been the first half MVP of the Jets in my opinion. He has consistently stretched the field and made yards after the catch. He has come up big in the second half of some tight games and the Jets have benefited greatly when he got into gear. The questions about his toe and lack of explosiveness over the last two seasons have been put to rest as he once again is displaying his 2002 and 2003 form. 2. Brian Schottenheimer. No chip off the old block here. Schottenheimer has opened up the Jet's offense and the long game-breaking plays have popped up over and over again in the first half of the season. The Jet's offensive sets are also drawing favorable commentary from people in the know, who say that Schottenheimer has become the most unpredictable offensive coordinator in the AFC this season. Impressively the Jets production is at 20 points a game with 2 rookies on the offensive line and a running game that has not settled down until the last few games. Look for the Jets to score at an even better clip in the second half now that... 3. Leon Washington. Has arrived. The Jet's rookie tailback from Florida State looks to be a keeper, with excellent speed and lightning quick cuts at the line of scrimmage. Durability is still a huge question but there's no question that Washington has what it takes to be a good NFL tailback if he can stay on the field. 4. Chad Pennington. Back from serious injuries in each of the last 3 seasons, Chad looks like an older more mature version of the kid who took over the 2002 season. He's had some downs along with his ups, but he is a major reason the Jets are looking down on the Bills and the Dolphins at the moment and have a real chance to win 8 or 9 games this year. That said, he's fighting for his job every week as the Jet's rebuilding process continues. 5. Nick Mangold. The rookie center has held his own in the middle of the field and as a result Pennington and company have had time to work things out on offense. Opposing defenses have managed to stymie the Jet's interior running game at times but they have been unable to crack the pocket and get at the QB. There have also been very few rushes stopped behind the line of scrimmage. Mangold looks like he's going to be a very good center and we're getting some of the payoff now, which is doubly nice. 5 people that have disappointed, causing major problems for the Jets: 1. Justin Miller. The young 2nd year cornerback was expected to play a major role in the Jet's defensive backfield this year. Unfortunately the fundamentals of coverage and tackling have been lacking and Miller finally lost his job after the first half dozen games. The lack of a pass rush has put all the defensive backs on an island at one point or another this season, however Miller never got his footing at the start and spent the majority of his downs waving at passing ships and looking to be rescued. There's probably another opportunity in there somewhere for Miller to redeem himself but the shine is off the apple. 2. Dewayne Robertson. Unsuited to play the nose in the 3-4 Robertson has been consistently taken out of plays and the middle of the Jet's run defense has been almost non-existent at times. This was probably never going to be a happy ending because Robertson does not really have the size to handle a double-team and he definitely does not have the quickness to break up interior blocking schemes. It's hard to give up on a high first round draft pick but Robertson has about reached the point at which that's the lesser of two evils. The Jet's run D, while never strong, has looked much better in the limited time that Rashad Moore has been at the nose. It's saying a lot when a journeyman DT waived by a last place team is a better option than your young "star". 3. Derrick Blaylock. Handed the job out of the gate Blaylock tripped over his own feet, and the hashmarks, and inchworms, and just about anything else that would net him 2 yards or less a carry. Blaylock's stats with the Jets over the last two years are now 42 carries for 97 yards and no TD's. His long gain? 11 yards. This is about as bad as you can get after being signed as an "impact" free agent. 4. Victor Hobson. Yes, he's had an interception thrown right into his arms by Joey Harrington. He joins a long list of nobodies that Harrington has made momentarily famous. He's also had a couple of sacks in the Jet's blitzing schemes. He's still about as low impact a player as you can possibly be in the NFL. Through 8 games as a starter he has 21 unassisted tackles. Bryan Thomas is no star, but he's managed 35 solo tackles behind that porous line and held his own. Hobson needs to be replaced ASAP because it's clear at this point that he's not a starting NFL linebacker. 5. Mike Nugent. The weakest leg in the NFL in my opinion. His kickoffs routinely land at the 12 yard line, leading to great field position for the opposition. His FG's are ok, but nothing special and he will miss when you cannot afford it. Mangini seems to slowly be regaining some confidence in Nugent's ability to kick FG's but he still has only sent him out there 10 times this season. There were a few things that jumped out at me as I did the lists above; the Jets are in surprisingly good shape when you look at the upside. I could not find room in the positives for young people having fine seasons, like Jerrico Cotchery and Kerry Rhodes. That suggests to me that there is an undercurrent of success that is starting to run through the Jets right now. Also, it was interesting to note how few real problems there were once you got past the really big ones. A nose tackle, a cornerback, an outside linebacker, these may be how few pieces are actually needed for the Jets to step up to the next level. I guess the biggest thing for me though was that I have confidence enough in the coaching staff and the front office at this point that I see a bright future for the team. None of the Herm/Bradway undercurrents that always seemed likely to cause future problems despite the team looking respectable at the moment. I give the Jets a real chance to step up into the upper echelon of NFL teams with a bit of luck, and they're doing it with a young braintrust that could be around for 15 years.
Doh. Well that would be my famous ability to mix up names... Kurt is the defensive backs coach for Green Bay...
You basically summed it up. Nugent's leg is horrible, and we should cut him and sign a veteran now, because he's not going to get any better. I'm really dissapointed in Hobson, as I thought he was going to be a monster star a couple of years ago. Hasn't happened, and its not going to. I thought I was the only one who noticed the only thing Blaylock does is trip out of the backfield. Was wondering if he didn't have broken toes or something. Very unproductive player, bad signing. About the only time I EVER want to see Justin Miller on the field, is on KO returns. This kid is not an NFL corner. Leon Washington is a star in the making. He's actually alot stronger than people realize. He moves piles for a small frame, and has tremendous acceleration and very shifty feet. With the proper coaching, he undoubtedly can be a feature back in this league. I get excited when he gets the ball, and thats how you know you have a player. Chad is all heart, and I'm happy that he's shown he still can play. Whether or not Tangini feels they will go with him in the coming years, I think Chad has proven the naysayers wrong already, and I admit, I was one of them.
i dont see how you can leave Jerricho Cotchery off of that list also, putting Miller on a list of players who "hurt" the team may be harsh. He has returned 2 kicks for TDs, and made some great plays on D. Sure, he has pretty poor technique and gets beat sometimes, but he has also helped the team a lot
I wouldn't be so quick to write off Justin Miller either. No doubt, he has been very discouraging but the mistakes he's making can be fixed. Also there is no doubt that he has the talent required, but cornerback is a very difficult position to learn and I'd give him a bit more time under Mangini before we call it quits on him. All in all though that was one of the more refreshing posts I've read here in a while.
I'd say as far as positives I think the play of many of the rookies, Eric Smith showed signs of life as he had an INT last week. Drew Coleman has had some nice plays at times, Leon has been a real nice find and the ST play of Brad Smith has been amazing, he may be the best gunner in the league right now and he is a QB...... I'd also say Kerry Rhodes has been a huge positive, this guy may go down as on the best picks from the Badway/Sperm regime. Disapointments: Not too many.... I'd say the entire DL; Sean Ellis are you on the field? Kimo where are you? Robertson, for every good play he makes he gets blown off the ball by an undersized OL X 10. Adrian Jones.... looking like he will be replaced in the offseason.
Positives: Offense: Pennington, Leon, Coles, Cotch, Brick, Mangold, Brad Smith Defense: Kimo (good defensive ends in a 3-4 aren't really noticed and he has gotten killed since they never have to double team the NT, his job is to fill space), Rhodes, Coleman, Dyson. Sean Ellis has a nice game against the colts but he's pretty useless otherwise. Negatives: Offense: Anthony Clement has done a nice job pass blocking but his run blocking is extemely weak. Brandon Moore, J-mac, Barlow, Blaylock, Askew. Defense: Robertson is awful, all of the linebackers are not playing well and a lot of that is the d line being horrible and a new system. A big nose tackle who was actually good would completely change that. But Hobson and Thomas both stink.
I would probably have left Chad off the list but he would be on it if he could show in the next two or three games that he IS truly back, not what he showed us in the last two games and against jax. Miller shouldnt be in the negative section. He is a very ver good kickoff returner and has had 2 tds already! I would have put cotchery/smith as honourable mentions.
As a visitor from New England, I can only second this. From the other side of the field, Coles is the one Jets player who stands out as being scary. I'm not sure Chad is your long term franchise quarterback, but he is a worthy QB when healthy, and spending one's first round draft picks every year hoping to pick up a superstar is a good way to waste a high draft pick. Too many teams are too ready to blame QBs for everything and make a change. I'll mention Miami and the Bills as two of them. The Patriots style 3-4 defense can work, but, yah, you need the right people. 3 - 4 defensive linemen, big enough to fight double teams, able to play two gap technique, aren't easy to come by. The Patriots defensive line is made up of three first round draft choices. While in the long run it may be worth while to work towards a 3 - 4, it may take a while to get the right people to get it working really well. But there enough 4 - 3 teams in the NFL that a trade might be worth considering.
Cotchery has had a good first half. One of the things that I am happy about at mid-season is that the 5 people I listed are even brighter stars of the Jet's unexpected start. I really think the Jets are setting the table for a much brighter immediate future with their play this season.
I would switch Tim Dwight in for Victor Hobson. Hobson is way too slow to play OLB in this set and we knew about that, he hasn't disappointed me because I knew he would fail. Dwight, on the other hand, hasn't shown me anything since he returned from his injury. Whether his slow start can be attributed to the injury or to just not performing, he is a total disappointment thus far.
Surpsises: 1. WR Cotchery 2. FS Rhodes 3. RB Washington 4. CB Coleman 5. OLB Thomas Disappointments: 1. SS Coleman 2. CB Miller 3. DE von Oelhoffen 4. DE Ellis 5. FB Askew
I wouldn't call Miller a disappointment yet. I think he has tremendous skills that can still be developed. Remember Aaron Glenn's first 2 or 3 seasons were pretty rough as well. It just takes to to develop at corner in this league.
I wouldn't say D Rob is an absolute failure yet at this point. Every time the coaches talk about him, they say he's not the problem. This team needs a healthy abraham, and since we knew we wouldn't get it, we were wise to trade him. D line is priority #1 next year for the draft. Our LB Corps is pretty decent, and our secondary isn't bad either.
I am sorry, but Cotchery was the biggest surprise for me. I knew he "COULD" catch, but was really hidden in the shadows by Herm. It is amazing how good he already is, and I am excited to see how much more he will develop for this team. Cotch is my number 2 key to our success, right behind Coles. You hit that on the head, IMO.
Of course, they aren't going to flat out call out a player. Vilma has been a problem, von Oelhoffen has been a problem, Ellis for the most part... But they will never single out a player, of course the coaches have to sound optimistic about the certain player to the media.
vilma is the biggest disapponitment ono the Jets hands down...we expected this guy to be a probowler year in and year out and he has been below average this year....Miller cant be called a giant disappointment, becasue hes still learning the position and making mistakes, but also making a lot of big plays.....Hobson cant be considered a disappointment this year at all....we all knew he sucked before the season began so whats to be disappointed about????Nugent is a tremendous disappointment becasue he doesnt seem to have improved one iota from last year
