Jets’ Resurgence: Favre Is Its Face, Lines Are Its Force Article Tools Sponsored By By AARON SCHATZ Published: November 22, 2008 Last week, the Fox analyst Terry Bradshaw asserted that if Green Bay had held on to Brett Favre instead of trading him, the Packers, not the Jets, would be 7-3. Skip to next paragraph Nick Laham/Getty Images Kris Jenkins, the Jets’ 349-pound nose tackle, was acquired from the Panthers for two draft picks. Analysis and discussion of the N.F.L. on the New York Times pro football blog. The Jets signed Alan Faneca, a Pro Bowl guard with the Steelers, as a free agent. Bradshaw is one of the many voices praising Favre as the driving force who turned last season’s 4-12 disaster to this season’s first-place club. In reality, however, the moves that set the Jets on course for a winning season came long before Favre reconsidered his retirement and forced the trade. The true movers behind the Jets’ turnaround are the offensive and defensive linemen, in particular two veterans who arrived with numerous Pro Bowl appearances on their résumés: guard Alan Faneca and defensive tackle Kris Jenkins. The Jets suffered greatly when contract squabbles forced them to deal the veteran left guard Pete Kendall before the 2007 season. His replacement, Adrien Clarke, was a disaster, and the inexperienced left side struggled to block on running plays while making numerous communication mistakes in pass protection. In the off-season, the Jets’ brain trust of Mike Tannenbaum and Eric Mangini recognized their greatest need, and signed Faneca away from the Steelers. It was the perfect marriage of free agent and team need. Faneca has stabilized the space between left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson and center Nick Mangold; he can help cover when the youngsters make mistakes. Last season, Ferguson and Mangold continually had to cover for the mistakes of Clarke. The difference is obvious in the running game and pass protection. Running back Thomas Jones is gaining 4.5 yards a carry, up from 3.6 yards last season. Jets quarterbacks took 53 sacks in 2007; this year, Favre is on pace for 30. The Jets’ other major off-season need was a big, talented nose tackle who could absorb blockers in Mangini’s 3-4 defense. Enter Jenkins, who had struggled with weight problems and injuries in Carolina. The Panthers were looking to deal Jenkins even though he made the Pro Bowl as recently as 2006. They sent him to the Jets for two second-day draft picks. With the 349-pound Jenkins stuffing the middle, the Jets have improved their ability to stop the run as much as they have improved their ability to run the ball. In 2007, the Jets allowed 4.2 yards a carry, close to the league average. This year, it’s just 3.4 yards a carry, the fourth-best figure in the N.F.L. Jenkins’s numbers show how important he has been. On running plays, Jenkins is the only starting nose tackle in any of the league’s 3-4 defenses who makes his average tackle after a gain of less than a yard. Last year’s starting nose tackle, Dewayne Robertson, made his average tackle on running plays after a gain of 2.7 yards. There is no doubt that Favre’s performance has been better than the 2007 performance of the quarterback he replaced, Chad Pennington. Yet there are reasons to believe that Pennington would have played just as well if the Jets had kept him. Pennington’s numbers with Miami are as good as Favre’s numbers are with the Jets, although his strengths and weaknesses are different. Pennington is thriving in the kind of deep passing offense that was supposedly the reason the Jets had to bring in Favre in the first place. Favre is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, higher than Pennington’s 67 percent. But Favre’s career-high completion percentage is mainly the result of a Jets offense that has him throwing short more often. Pennington actually has a higher completion percentage than Favre on passes longer than 10 yards, 56 percent to 51 percent. As a result, Pennington is averaging 7.9 yards a pass, while Favre’s average is 7.1. Many N.F.L. fans would dismiss these numbers, arguing that Favre is a leader and a winner. Conventional wisdom says that the Jets needed Favre’s intangibles in their 34-31 victory against New England, as he led the team down the field for a winning field goal in overtime. But the argument that Pennington lacks similar leadership skills seems a bit silly when one considers that last Sunday, he was doing the same thing: leading Miami down the field for a winning field goal in the final minute against Oakland. You also cannot look at Favre’s numbers without considering the quality of the Jets’ opposition this season. The league averages 6.2 yards a pass; the Jets’ previous opponents allow 6.7 yards a pass. On Sunday, the Jets play Tennessee, their first opponent this season that allows fewer than 6 yards a pass. It is possible that Favre will join Indianapolis’s Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to manage two touchdown passes against the Titans this season. But the more likely explanation in the event of a Jets upset will be that Jenkins stuffed the Tennessee running game while Faneca cleared out the Pro Bowl tackle Albert Haynesworth to help Jones into the end zone. These are the off-season additions who have led the Jets’ turnaround. Favre, for all his fame, is mostly just along for the ride. E-mail: keepingscore@nytimes.com
I think that Farve has had a positive effect on the team. There is clearly a more optimistic vibe spreading throughout this team. I believe it has to do with the fact that BF always BELIEVES he is GOING to win. This is quite a bit different than always thinking you can win. I was a big Chad supporter, and honestly believe that he would have been having a good to great year with the changes that were made, however, the attitude of the offense (and the OC) would have been stuck where it had been for years. It was time for a new direction. If (fingers crossed) our current success is due to the team and all its new pieces coming together, and gaining confidence, look out in the playoffs. Chad may have gotten us there, but Brett will likely take us farther.
One thing I have noticed in this article and a few previous ones. When they bring up Jenkins they always mention his weight but at the beginning of the year they were calling it at 370. A few articles later they were calling it at 360 then an article last week 350 and this article 349. The reason I mention this is that Jenkins had a time keeping his weight down in Carolina and this wore him down late in games. I know he has a weight clause that gets him bonuses but it seems he is far exceeding what he has to do for the bonus. He is excited about the game again and I think he is the main reason The Jets are where they are but Favre is a huge reason also.
^^^ ive been noticing the same thing. is this good or bad for a 3-4 NT? 349 is only 11 pounds lighter than 360, so maybe it's nothing.
He's officially listed at 349 at nyj.com and espn.com, which is where that number comes from. I think you had seen 360 and 370 in other articles because nobody believes the official weight. I was just watching Playbook AFC and Baldinger was saying he thinks Mawae will be able to handle Jenkins. Good Luck. As far as the original post goes, if I could only take one or the other, I'd take Faneca and Jenkins over Favre, but to say Favre is "just along for the ride" is a terrible understatement.
dump offs to that Ronnie Brown & Ted Ginn juke downfield with may have something to do with that :wink:
For me its the addition of Jenkins that is making this team night and day different from last year. Add all the other picks and BF as a cheery on the top and you have most if not all the pieces filled. HMMMMM 4-12 last year and 7-3 this year I say its working. PLUS Jenkins should go to the Pro Bowl.
You're wrong. We wouldn't- obviously- be where we are now without Jenkins and Co playing at such a high level- but the pass-protection has still been spotty at best, and the left side of the OL still gets zero push in the running game- Faneca's impact is really only felt when we pull him- when he's outstanding. The difference is Favre's ability to make plays under pressure (he's made a TON standing in the smallest pockets I've ever seen) and the fact that we're routinely facing only 7 or 6 men in the box. That second point is the most important one. Even though the left side of the line isn't getting much of a push, with only 6 or 7 guys in the box, so long as there is a hat on a hat by all 5 OL, and a TE and/or FB, Jones has room to make cuts and skirt inevitable attempted arm-tackles. Last season, Jones would routinely run into his blockers, and be swallowed up by the free man/men from the 8-10 in the box we routinely faced (yes, I noticed 10 on more than one occasion)... This year, he's running into his blockers, but then having room, and bouncing off and usually outside for a decent gain. 2 or 3 guys in the box makes all the difference in the world, and that's where Favre's impact can be most clearly seen.
Are you really saying there's not much difference between last year's line and this year's line, outside of Faneca pulling and less defenders in the box?
Nobody knows for sure who's right and who's wrong. It's all opinion. Start comments with "in my opinion". This way, you're being truthful.
Just another article that all it's going to spur is Chad Verse Favre. *sigh*, it shouldn't even be brought up. The guy is bassically saying that Chad could do just as well as Favre can with the jets this year. That seems to be the point of hte whole thing.
You're wrong. No QB, no matter how good, can consistently be successful with constant pressure. I'm not saying the Jets would be better off with Pennington, but I am saying if Favre is playing with last year's line the Jets aren't nearly as good, while if Pennigton were playing with this year's lines the Jets are probably almost as good.
Yeah, our offense won't do jack with a bad O-line, and our D won't stop anyone with a bad D-line. Football teams win by controlling the lines.
See 2007 Packers. The OL was horrible, and Favre had constant pressure all game long every game. IT can be done. Just... it's not a formula to live by. Sooner or later, it catches up, Favre or whoever gets crushed, and that is that. In fact, it was that same protection that lead to favre's elbow injury to take him out of hte dallas game. Meh. You can still play well even with no time, it's just not a good formula.
