For real! I haven't been a Sanchez cheerleader but this was shitty coordinating on both sides of the ball!
OK, you are being too critical here. Yeah, this D had a bad first half, but its the same D that played great against the likes of Manning and Brady.
Lets recount the F- ups and plays left on the field. We were the more talented team and let one get away: 1. Choosing to defer/ not receive opening kickoff and est momentum off a good return game and est field position. 2. 1st Pitt drive: Allowing 3/3 on 3rd and long (one a 13 yd scramble on 3/12). Cromartie penalty on 3/6 auto 1st down as well. 3. 1st Jets drive- sanchez telegraphing throws, batted at line (2) and false start kills drive. 2nd Steelers drive-- 2/ 10 Harris drops potential pick/ E Smith penalty auto 1st down- Jets 2nd Poss- WTF play call on Cotch end -around?-5 yds to start. Bullshit false start on Dbrick-5 yds. Cotch drops 3/13 pass with space to run. 3rd Steelers Drive- Revis drops ball cradled in 2 hands. Mendenhall 1st down run on 2/10. drive ends in FG and keeps defense on field 7 plays longer. Jets 3rd poss- 2/7 pass to Edwards miscommunication play thrown away. Pitt 4th poss- --- straight up gashed on 2nd and long 3 series in a row. B Thomas allows Roths to walk into EZ for TD Pitt 17-0 Jets 4th poss-- sack, overthrow, sack (ruled fumble), 4 guys including LT watch the ball run in for TD showing lukewarm attempt to stop Steelers 24- Jets 0 Jets 5th poss- 2/1 at 24 YL- LT open in flat- throw for EZ holmes incomplete-- ends in FG Pitt 24 Jets 3 2nd Half- B smith fumble KO and lose yardage- starting field position 10 YL Other than play call LT run off RG for no game (couldn't run off RG all night), good series: Pitt 24, Jets 10 Pitt 5th poss- Wilson drops INT on 3/2 middle, Westerman roughing kicker extends drive and field position by 40 yards, finally Poole INT ends the madness at the 14 YL (Difference of pinned deep vs. in Pitt territory) Jets 7th poss- bad pass Sanchez on 2/7 with pressure- Holmes wide open for 1st and throw is high/ late and behind. Late thrown looping pass and poor footwork by Edwards on the sideline pass OOB--- 3 and out. Pitt 6th poss- 3rd and 4 Taylor turns back attempting spin and loses contain allowing Roth scramble for 1st down- extends drive (time) and field position 3rd and 3 Roths scramble again no pursuit from about -12 yds behind LOS for 1st- holding called on Cromartie 1st down. (followed by 3 consec negative plays that consume nearly 2 more minutes of clock. Jets 8th poss- 1/10 27 yl- play call greene RG no gain ( RG runs stuffed all night- shit play call) 3/3 20 YL sanchez scramble no late hit called after slide cost yardage and time. 1/Goal shit play calling and late getting play in on 2x plays in a row costs us a TD on the keller pass that is brilliant call, rushed, underthrown, and poorly caught.- 8 minutes off clock and nothing to show for it, stuffed at goal line. Terrible 4- down series. Jets 9th possession- 1/10 36 Sanchez/ Greene miscommunication costs us play, time, and injures Mangold 3/1 LT run for no gain-- why the fuck is LT in there, hasn't broken a tackle since week 4. TD to cotch but too much time run off-- Jets 19/ Steelers 24. Steelers 8th possession- 2/8 Complete to TE Miller (poole late in coverage/ no contain of pocket on R side) 3/5 next series Roths scramble right with no pressure and Brown is open for the closer So in a nutshell- not staying on down/ distance pace on offense, not getting off the field on defense (3 dropped INTs and 3rd and longs converted), and their defense outscored ours 7-2 was the difference in the game. Fuck!
For me that REALLY LOOOONG drive that the Steelers had in the first half, gassed our D, then our inability to convert 3rd downs made it even worse. Yep, accumulatively it certainly didn't help
The Steelers were ready to play in the 1st half and the Jets weren't. The Steelers ran the ball all over the Jets. The Steelers defense made some plays too but there was a lot of pressure on Jets offense in the 1st half and they weren't quite ready either. The Jets have played some pretty intense games in the playoffs and couldn't quite do it again in the 1st half. I think they made it very close in the 2nd though.
Easy solution is to promote Callahan. He knows the system as it exists, knows Sanchez, and would know to run the football on 3rd and goal from the 1 yard line.
Where did we go wrong? 1. We are not stout up front. Linebackers are not athletic enough. These two are the most incriminating factors that went wrong today. Especially, we don't have that clutch performer on the front 7. I know Harris is getting a lot of love here, and Bart is very good at what he does and whatnot. They might belong to the upper echelon of ILBs, but other than those two, we are hopelessly out-matched in terms of talent. We need to get physical up front; watching Mendenhall churning out yards after yards made me sick to death. Last Steelers 3rd down conversion made me puke almost. 2. Where was the offense in the 1st half? We lost the game there, when the offense couldn't respond to the long TD drive Steelers put up. I don't think we need any more offensive influx of talents; we are fine the way we are already (except maybe RB and OL depth?) As long as we can hold onto the pieces we have together, this offense will be formidable for years. Defense, however, needs a lot of work. We need a legit NT first and foremost (since Jenkins cannot be relied upon; he's always one blown knee ligament away every season) After that, physical DEs, and fast (and athletic) OLBs. Front 7 needs an overhaul. And Schotty, you suck big donkey ball. That four goal-to-go attempts were at best pathetic.
I dont understand why we kept on running in the middle? Even the the commentator said we need something new. Second, When we were at the 1 yard line, how the hell we didn't run and instead of passing? WTF!
Not enough Greene, especially on the goal line or the two run plays that shouldve been called before that
Exactly- We have the least effective OLBs of any 3-4. Not one of them is althetic. Pace off the juice is below average, Taylor washed up and Thomas only serviceable and not that athletic. That is where our biggest problem lies.
