New York Jets: Flight Cancelled At The Gate

From the desk of:   A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN

 

NEW YORK JETS:  Half Way Through The Regular Season, D-Generation Rex Is Caught In A Downward Spiral.  With The Bye Coming Next Week, The Jets Have Two Weeks Of Decision Making Ahead.


The storm of all perfect storms descended upon Met-Life Stadium Sunday afternoon.  Tried as they might to fly through adverse conditions, the Jets never had a chance.  Sunday's flight was doomed from go.  The plane never even made the tarmac.  The pilot never made it to the plane.  Marc Sanchez was stopped at the gate.  Fans are starting to suspect their fly boy is playing under the influence of Performance Depleting Drugs.  Maybe Tim Tebow is diabolically flaking Marc's food at the buffet table?  That's called not-so-very-creative fiction and a poor attempt at humor people!  But the reality of the Jets condition is the quarterback is playing as if he was on dope none the less.


In an ever downward spiraling season filled with worse upon worse efforts, Sunday's was the worst performance by Marc Sanchez of perhaps both his entire college and professional career.  Aiding and abetting in four sacks-against due to horrible presence in the pocket, an interception, a fumble, were only what the box score show.  To watch him Sunday, made Jets fans eyes bleed.


Before we get to all the other inclement elements of Sunday's humiliating loss to the Miami Hurricanes Dolphins, first let me give credit to Head Coach Rex Ryan.  He stuck with Marc Sanchez all game long.  This was Marc Sanchez' game, and Marc Sanchez' failure at quarterback alone.  Waiting on the sidelines was Tim Tebow.  If there was a game which needed handing off to the next guy, it was this one.  But Rex denied Tim Tebow the opportunity of stepping into, on, or over, Marc Sanchez' downfall - not with the Bye Week coming.  That was a great move by Rex.  One, Rex's decision kept the situation very clear cut, and unpolluted.  It leaves the team with two weeks to deliberate over what to do next.  Any decision they make going forward should now be met with very little resistance.  For nothing else has worked.


Make no mistake, this was a perfect storm.  They are now 3-5 this season, with a 2-2 division record.  They barley defeated the Dolphins in overtime in the first match-up.  The Jets opening week game against the Bills stands as their best season effort so far.  Then their win over the Colts was just that, against the Colts.  But the Jets are now thoroughly exposed.


If you take away Shonn Greene's thirty six yard romp, the Jets rushed twenty times for only sixty nine yards.  Marc Sanchez was forced to attempt fifty four passes, and wound up throwing twenty six incompletions.  But should any offense they generated in the 4th quarter really count considering this game was effectively lost in the first quarter?  If you're going by the actual score, the Jets lost the game within the first eleven minutes of the game.


Part of this overall ineptness must fall on the offensive coordinator.  Here's a question - what is he doing?  Marc's worst season is coinciding with the coordinator's first season.  Sparano waited until he faced his former team in Week Three to inaugurate the first hints it might be Tebow Time.  Since then, many fans have gotten lost with how seemingly Coach Sparano incoherently implements the Jets weapon of mass disruption.  The plan has done more to interrupt Marc Sanchez' flow and promising drives, than anything except for their poor offensive line play.  But not Sunday.  Sunday was all Marc, all day.  He didn't take care of the ball.  He had no feel for the pocket.  He couldn't even complete a simple screen pass.


Defensively, the Jets still can't stop Reggie Bush.  He and Daniel Thomas combined to rush twenty nine times for 101 yards.  It was enough.  The real defensive blow to the ego was losing to back-up quarterback Matt Moore.  Miami's starter, Ryan Tannehill's day didn't start out too promising.  But after he pulled a quad muscle via an actual Jets sack, the game took a not so funny football bounce against the Jets.  Their special teams, and everything else, feel apart like wet toilet paper.


How bad was New York's start against Miami?  Mike Westhoff is known for coaching superior special teams units.  Sunday, his teams were repeatedly embarrassed all game long.  All players have one bad day at work they would prefer to forget.  When one suffers, the others cover.  We all get that.  Against Miami, all special teams players shared in having their worst day together.  That spells doom.  An on-side kick and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown in the first quarter alone were  the start of a miserable afternoon for Jets fans.  Yet another blocked field goal attempt before the half just about disenfranchised everyone in attendance of their pursuit of happiness.


How did they start the 3rd quarter? - By allowing a fifty seven yard kick-off return.  By then, the score was howling in the Jets faces with 27-0 winds.  Then came a near Marc Sanchez pick, followed by an actual Sanchez pick.  Then another sack.  Then more and more and more....


The 30-9 final score is hardly indicative of the damage.  The Jets played far worse.  They suffered poor special teams play, which to be fair, will no doubt be corrected.  The Jets defense are having their troubles.  They are still a good defense.  But they are being asked to do too much now.  To be fair, they are without Derrelle Revis, and were without Bart Scott, and so on.  But despite injuries, the defense was already proving to be somewhat suspect.  And then there was the offense.  There was none.  With one or two exceptions, the offensive line is inferior.  Shonn Greene is trying, but the running game is sub-standard.  Additionally, with Santonio Holmes out, and even with Dustin Keller in, there are no game changing receivers to speak of.


All this ultimately brings us to Marc Sanchez and Tim Tebow.  The Jets have given Marc Sanchez a fair shot at securing the job without having to look over his shoulder, except for stupid conceptual plays here and there.  The job has been his.  Tim Tebow has not had the pleasure of starting at quarterback yet.  I believe he was afforded one partial drive all season under center.


I do not believe, at all, Tim Tebow will change the Jets fortunes.  Not in a box, not with a fox.  Not here, nor there, not anywhere.  However, at this point, asking why not give the offense to Tebow after one half of a season spent spiraling out of control, is the most valid question in the NFL right now.  An independent, yet relative question is, why is he here?  There is one fact towards that end which justifies everything.  The Dolphins dominated.


All is not lost.  Not by a long stretch.  The season is ONLY half over.  The Jets have two weeks to get back in the lab and conjure a solution.





Mike.BTB

New York Jets: Ground And Pound Finally Arrives

From the desk of:   A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN

NEW YORK JETS: D-Generation Rex And

Shonn Greene Go Smash Mouth Over Colts.

That's as smash mouth, or in Rex' case, that's as Ground and Pound as you get.  No trickery.  Just straight downhill rushing.  Even with Dustin Keller back on the field, Marc Sanchez only attempted eighteen passes.  Shonn Greene rushed the ball thirty two times for 161 yards.  Throw in Joe McKnight's effort and Bam! -  That's the way to do it.  Old School.

The running effort came perhaps a week too late for Rex's tastes, but the game in which the Jets gave up over 200 yards rushing to the 49ers is now a wash.  You can exhale now Jets fans.

The Jets rushed for fourteen first downs.  The Colts rushed for none.  The Jets effectively took away the run from Indianapolis.  In seventeen rushes, the Jets allowed them a scant forty one yards.  Therefore, the Jets turned the game into an Andrew Luck affair, and the rookie failed.  The Colts asked him to throw forty four times Sunday.  The Jets picked him off twice.  There's your game.

Just goes to show, if you can run the ball, and stop the other team from running the ball, the odds of winning grow exponentially.  And if you're Mark Sanchez, all you have to do is throw the damn ball when it counts.  When you run the ball the way the Jets did, it makes it easier for Mark Sanchez to spot seven different receivers.  Two touchdown passes inside the Colts ten makes him look stellar.

As a special treat, the Jets sacked Andrew Luck four times Sunday afternoon.  And Tim Tebow connected on a twenty three yard 4th down fake which led to a first down, and an eventual touchdown.  Overall, I'd say it was finally a good day for the home team.  The Jets are now 3-3 on the season, and have a bunch of confidence heading into New England next week.

Have a good week of practice boys.

WEEK SIX FINAL:

Colts  9

Jets  35

Mike.BTB

New York Jets: Soul Searching Is Taking Longer Than Expected

From the desk of:   A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN

NEW YORK JETS:  Rex Can't Help Them Now.  The Season Is Up To The Players On The Field.


If there was a game Coach Rex was going to win by himself, it was this last one.  Through pure preparation, coaches are usually good for one game in which they are directly responsible for winning or losing.  Rex did everything right in this game - right in the sense the Jets could have won.  Strategy is another story.  Even though, for the Jets control of the game was never really more than a dropped, deflected, or tipped pass, and an interception away.  It is a tough break because the Texans were beatable Sunday.  Rex had a good plan - I think.  Apparently, some of the Jets didn't get the memo.


Rex gave his team two days off after the previous week's debacle against the 49ers.  An extra day off is usually doled out as an award.  When coaches do that after a loss, it is because they will be sequestering themselves in their labs, trying to come up with new formulas for victory.  So as Rex sent his team off in search of fortitude, truth is, coaches need the extra time to prepare.  In this case, perhaps letting Week Four's loss eat away at his team one extra day had its effects.  It just wasn't enough to change the outcome of Week Five.  That doesn't mean things won't change down the line.  The Jets players will just have to do it themselves now.  Rex just used his Get Out Of Jail Free card, and his players blew it.


With a couple of breaks, this is a different conversation.  However, many thing about the Jets remain the same.  And in the NFL, all that matters is they lost.  The next logical question is why..(?)


How about..., Shonn Greene isn't even averaging fifty yards per game this season.  This is clearly not the same guy many thought two years ago could be the Jets next feature back.  At this rate, Tim Tebow can very well become the Jets leading rusher.  In the grand scheme of things, that can not be a good thing.  Bilal Powell hasn't exactly separated himself from the pack either.  And so, the Jets become more reliant on Marc Sanchez' ability to safely and accurately throw the football.  And there's the rub.


And this just in...., Week Six is on the way, and no one is yet to figure what to do with Tim Tebow.




Mike.BTB

New York Jets: D-Generation Rex Takes Major Hit

From the desk of:   A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN

NEW YORK JETS: Revis Island is now an all inclusive resort the rest of the League will be sure to visit often.


This all seems odd to say coming off a win.  After all, a victory in the NFL is worth its weight in gold.  But it appears the Jets are officially in trouble now.  Prior to Week Three, I only suspected it.  That said, there is finally a bigger story and more pressing matters than Tim Tebow to wrestle.


Darrelle Revis' left knee just set the Jets on an uncharted course.  The singularly most important player in what Coach Ryan likes to do on defense is finished for the season.  And in an indirect way, there goes the Jets pass rush as well.  Without the League's supreme cornerback, does a pass rush which relies on down field coverage, deception, and variety still live up to its (deserved or not)  reputation?  Alex Smith and the San Francisco 49ers will answer that question shortly.  But from here on out, it's up to Antonio Cromartie, and Joe McKnight?  Really?....to buy Rex's blitz packages that little bit of extra time they need to get to the quarterback.


That doesn't explain Miami's Reggie Bush though.  Had he stayed in the game, there is every reason to believe the Jets lose handily.  Bush was running wild until he exited the game with an injury.  So make no mistake, Jets fans can partly thank Reggie's exit for getting the Jets in a position to win Sunday's game.


If the Jets strength is their defense, what does that make the offense?  Well, right now it is a liability.  Shonn Greene, Bilal Powell, Tim Tebow, and even Mark Sanchez all took their turn running the ball.  Of the four names mentioned, least known Bilal Powell was most successful running to daylight.  Shonn Greene couldn't punch through into the end zone from the one yard line.  On a third down and goal from the Miami six yard line, Marc Sanchez decided to run and was tackled at the three.  Tim Tebow finally rushed for a first down out of the Wild Cat.  Anything Tebow after that was confusing at best.  So basically without Powell, who rushed ten times for forty five yards, there was no running game.


Save me the 306 yards passing.  Completing only 21 of 45 passes and two INT's was less than stellar.  And bouncing a pass off Tim Tebow's head was just comical.  But no, I don't blame Marc Sanchez' entire day on the starting quarterback.  When Marc was left in to establish a flow, he was fine.  Otherwise, this TIMplementation of Tebow is still disruptive.  Additionally, it has become far too apparent Marc Sanchez needs Dustin Keller back.


This was an ugly win; as ugly as they come.  But it sure beats playing well and coming up short, right?  I have but this one question.  Why would you wait to unveil the Jets version of the Wild Cat on Coach Sparano's former team?  I mean....   never mind.


In the San Francisco 49ers, the Jets have a formidable opponent on their hands.  They had better study what Minnesota did to them very closely.  More about Sunday in my next post.





Mike.BTB

New York Jets: Soul Searching In South Beach

From the desk of:   A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN

NEW YORK JETS: Destination Unknown.

Last seen departing gritty Steel City, the Jets might be flying towards more glamorous Miami, but where are they really headed?  On the one hand, there was a resounding win over the Bills to consider.  On the other hand, there was an underwhelming loss to the Steelers they'd rather forget.  So which team touches down in South Beach for Game Three?  And what exactly does Coach Sparano have in store for his former team?  I'm sure he'd love to punish the Dolphins somehow.  I just don't know what he can devise offensively because I still have no idea who the Jets are.  So I claim ignorance.


Here's a better question.  What are the Jets up to?  I still do not get the gist of what the Jets are doing with Tim Tebow other than using him to disrupt Marc Sanchez.  Poor guy, I incredulously watch him trot off the field after making good passes.  I don't get that.  And I don't think Coach Sparano does either.  To be frank, I think Rex is another who has no clue.  Ditto Mike Tannebaum.  By all appearances on the field, I don't think anyone has come up with a feasible plan to incorporate Tebow into the Jets offense.  And you can blame the owner.  I think Tim Tebow was his call, and now it has the team in a bind.  Even if he didn't instigate this acquisition, what the first two weeks of the season have shown Jets fans, is that Tim Tebow still has no role.


Speaking of lacking, Marc Sanchez didn't have Dustin Keller last week.  And perhaps the down tick in Sanchez' play was a result of Keller's absence and their overall failure to run the ball.  Or maybe not.  But Marc Sanchez will most likely have to go without his tight end again this week.  That's a tall order because Santonio Holmes still hates his quarterback.  Last week's disconnect between the two may have exacerbated the situation.  So whether it's Tebow or Shonn Greene, someone better run the ball to get the Jets going.


Defensively, just hope Bart Scott has as much fight in him to stop Reggie Bush Sunday, as he did for reporter/cellphone photographer Dan Leberfeld of Jets Confidential.  Already suffering image problems, a situation like that is the last thing the Jets need.  Derrelle Revis will be back this week.  Last week, no Revis, no win.  Coincidence?





Mike.BTB

New York Jets: Gang Green Routs Buffalo Bills

From the desk of:   A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN

NEW YORK JETS:  Marc Sanchez Soars In Season Opener.

 

FINAL SCORE:

Buffalo   28

JETS      48

Fake Rex: "Yeah well, how 'bout them Jets huh?  I told you we'd be okay.  I mean..., gosh, you guys were killing us.  We had an awful pre-season this - We scored no touchdowns that.  You guys mocked me for keeping plans for Tim Tebow a secret, and all kind'sa stuff.  For weeks now you guys have been running off at the mouth, and printing all kinds of crap about us.  Hey man, I'm cool with that.  I have but one question, "How ya like me now bitches?"


Make me shut up will ya?  At what point in Sunday's game against the Bills did you stop calling the Jets a good team, and start calling Buffalo a horrible team?  I mean really....can the only team that actually plays in New York State please stand up?  This was opening day, and I never put much stock in it.  I do not expect the Jets to continue being this good.  Nor do I expect the Bills to remain this bad.  Take nothing away however, from the Jets effort Sunday.  But.., c'mon.


The secret is out.  The Jets real Tim Tebow has finally been unveiled.  He threw no passes, and rushed five times for eleven yards.  Finally, after much ballyhoo this pre-season, the internal Jets battle between the two headed monster versus a simple pump and head fake was a no contest.  Marc Sanchez was stellar, connecting on three touchdown passes.  Sanchez shovelled one interception in the first quarter that made you want to hit him with a helmet.  Otherwise, Marc Sanchez was very good.  The Jets wound up scoring their highest point total since Marc Sanchez assumed the helm as a rookie.


The big guys up front protected Marc Sanchez today allowing no sacks.  The Offensive Line also opened up enough space for Shonn Greene to rush twenty-seven times for ninety-four yards.  That was good enough I guess.  All told, I'd say the O-Line had themselves a pretty good day.


The Jets had a bit of trouble stopping Buffalo's running game though.  The Bills out rushed the Jets by a considerable sum.  And for the game, Buffalo ran more plays than the Jets.  Doesn't that seem a little odd in a 48-28 game?  Defensive questions will get overshadowed this week because the Offense scored forty-eight point.


This was a good start for Rex Ryan and his Jets.




Mike.BTB

Pre-Season Pigskin: Giants vs. Jets

From the desk of:   DO  IT FOR THE DUKE

THE SNOOPY BOWL - III

NEW YORK GIANTS

vs.

NEW YORK JETS

SATURDAY:

BATTLE OF THE SWAMP LANDS

Eli Manning: Is Now Beyond the Coach

On Kevin Gilbride, and an Offensive Line Preview

N.Y. Jets: Still Trying to Paint the Town Green

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS:  Defending Champions Out To Silence New York Jets..., Again.


What possessed these two franchises to share a stadium?  On the one hand, you can blame Jim Dolan for effectively blocking the West Side Stadium project.  On the other hand, I can appreciate both owners not wanting to foot the cost of a new stadium alone.  But as far as the Giants go, why would they want to share?  And as the Jets go, what were they thinking?  It makes sense then, that maybe this is why Woody Johnson rubber stamps Mike Tannenbaum's efforts to turn his team into the East Coast Neo-Raiders, while John Mara runs his organization as if he was born into the business.


Not only are the two owners diametrically opposed to each other, the General Managers couldn't be more different.  Each team's head coach couldn't be more different from each other.  And the way each team's players conduct themselves, couldn't vary any more than they do.  What's great about this arrangement though, is these two organizations now hate each other like never before.


So lets get it on!


Lets speak in truths here.  The Jets are still trying to get to where Giants roam.  That's a tough spot to be in; just like their stadium situation.  Living in someone else's shadow can wear a man down; much less fifty-three men, plus staff.  And don't look now, but I'm sure someone is busy painting the latest Giants' Super Bowl graphic on the wall next to their locker room.  Yes, the same wall the Jets must walk passed on the way to their locker room.


Curtains anyone?


This is pre-season, so you can't walk away from this game lamenting results.  What we're doing here is paying attention to isolated players and personnel packages.


From the Giants, I'd like to see the Offensive Line show me some cohesiveness, even though, there are no strangers within the unit this season.  And I'd like to see David Wilson and Da'Rel Scott handle most of the rushing.  Defensively, I need Prince Amukamara to show me so much more than he did in the first pre-season game.  Because of horrible footwork and bad body positioning, Prince spent the first pre-season game against the Jaguars getting burnt like toast.


From the Jets, I would imagine the most important thing this week is the play of Marc Sanchez and his ability to put up points.  Only Marc Sanchez can quiet all the Tim Tebow constant chatter.  If Marc plays well, Tebow becomes inconsequential, and all the talk dies down; to a point.  After all, this is NYC we're talking about.


What strikes me as odd, is the Jets were/are one of the most successful teams in the red zone with Marc Sanchez taking snaps.  So why would you change up with Tebow?  It seems counter-productive to me.  Be that as it may, since there are two QB's, I'm curious to see where exactly on the field each QB is given his chance.  My thinking is Tebow would be a safe way to play in the Jets own end.  But once they cross midfield, I think Sanchez will dominate that time.  Who knows.  I do know the season will be crazy due to Tebow's mere presence alone.


And, like the Giants, the Jets' Offensive Line needs to be markedly better this season than they have been.  The Jets return with basically the same crew, and Shonn Greene as the feature back.  I do think Coach Sparano will improve them as a unit.  I think Coach Sparano will put Marc Sanchez into far better situations than Coach Schotty did as well.  Defensively, I'd be paying attention to the play of the linebackers.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Jets ~ Living in a Big Blue Town

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE  D-GENERATION REX

 

NEW YORK JETS:   The Aftermath; Through the Eyes of a Giant Fan.



It's not easy being Gang Green.  Saturday's woeful loss will be pondered till Spring.  This loss was black; grey; bleak; dark; and many more sinister and colorful descriptive words like that....



That was the extent of my fun.  I am a Giants Fan just so you know.  In light of Rex Ryan's Super Bowl aspirations; and his Big Brother/Little Brother jive; and This is a Jets Town nonsense; and even his on-field exchange with Brandon Jacobs; and faced with the temptation to completely lambaste Rex the charlatan and the sycophants who picked up on his mantra and ran with it, I respectfully pass the opportunity to amuse myself even with so much material to work with.  I actually like Rex.  He's refreshing.  And I don't particularly enjoy watching him have to worm away from something he might have said.



I'll just say this.  To a man, Saturday's game was a lesson in humility.  One team's Head Coach needs some.  The other team's Head Coach preaches it.  Yet both are good coaches.  Maybe I'm out of context - in that perhaps what I choose to instill in my son, shouldn't apply to football players or coaches.  So on a Fan level then, I guess I'm talking to some of you.  I'm trying to run a semi-clean shop here; save for the sporadic light yet loose language.  So I think this is as far as I'll go with this inner-city Giants/Jets rivalry amongst US fans.



Let's talk football.  That I can do very fairly.  Because if left to talk about what only really amounts to a few of you, I'd lose a level of decorum I try to maintain here.

*     *     *     *     *

For here's the reality of the situation.  The Giants did what they needed to do in order to win.  But the Jets did everything possible to lose.  Credit ten penalties, three turnovers, and an Offensive Line that allowed Sanchez to get sacked five times for aiding and abetting an embarrassing loss.  That's what should be near the top of every Jet Fan's short lists regarding what went wrong Saturday afternoon.



Then there are two matters specifically that should top the list.  Two things failed the Jets miserably Saturday.  First, someone came up with a horrible offensive game plan.  And secondly, that same  person failed to realize his plan was a hot mess, while also failing to revert to what the Jets do best in recognition of that fact.  Why on earth did Coach Schotty get as far away from the running game as he did and ask Marc Sanchez to throw the ball fifty-nine times?  I know Jet Fans wanted their Offensive Coordinator to ease up on Sanchez' leash.  But what Schotty designed Saturday was no doubt the capstone on his body of work as the Jets' offensive play caller.  For surely once the off-season descends upon Jet-Life Stadium, his work here is done.



The Jets Defense held the Giants to fifty-nine plays from scrimmage.  The Defense gave Brian Schottenheimer every opportunity to possess the ball for thirty-six minutes and run eighty-nine plays from scrimmage.  Yet the Giants ended the day with 332 total yards while the Jets came in at 331 total yards from scrimmage.  That's a bizarre stat by any stretch.



Coach Schottenheimer took a page right out of Kevin Gilbride's playbook.  He asked Marc Sanchez to throw fifty-nine times (which is obscene even by Gilbride's standards) and only called on Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson nineteen times.  Together they gained eighty-seven yards and averaged 4.95 yards per carry.  In a game that remained 10-3 up until the Giants scored with 0:13 left in the third quarter, there was no reason to drop Sanchez pack to pass time and time again; not when the Offensive Line couldn't protect him; and certainly not after showing success running the ball. 



Only after having said all that should you Jet Fans admit that quite simply, Marc Sanchez was not up to the task.  He started out strong and finished badly.  At times it seemed as if he was throwing the ball into the twilight zone.  Marc Sanchez got sacked five times.  On two of those however, Marc had receivers open and pumped, but held on to the ball way too long causing a sack.  Then there is the math of his game. Yes, he threw up fifty-nine passes.  He completed thirty of them, but for only 258 yards?  Is that all thirty completions get you these days?  Look at the Offensive Coordinator for an answer to that.  To say his play calling was suspect is being kind.  And lest we forget the Jets' first touchdown came as a result of the Giants having twelve men on the field which kept the Jets' drive going.



But don't go dumping on Sanchez too badly.  There was a much better way to attack the Giants Defense.  And in coaches speak, Schotty didn't put his quarterback, or his offense, in a position to win.









Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Eve of Frustration; But For Who?

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS:

Put Your Muscle Where Your Mouth Is.

Dear fellow Giant Fans, -  I don't know what more to say.  As far as getting things off my chest, I'm all caught up.  The only thing left is to play this damn game.


Everything I've said and posted previously about:
The Coaching
The Offensive Line
The Running Game
The Secondary
And the Defense as a whole  ...remains relevant today.  I wouldn't change a thing now.  And so as to avoid being repetitive about things, I'd ask that you refer back to those posts for details.




Never before have the Giants taken on the Jets; or the Jets against the Giants; - depending upon which allegiance you subscribe to; where both teams have so much at stake.  It's a game in which both teams have everything to gain, along with everything to lose.  They're two desperate, wounded animals trying to qualify for the playoffs while team each is unknowingly more frightened than the other.  Who then is better than the stadium's corporate sponsor; Met-Life; to draw up and underwrite a policy for Saturday's  East Rutherford Riot.  For in the aftermath of this game, one of these two team's seasons which get played in the same house, will surely die. 




A bad game Saturday will prove too ruinous and effectively end either one of these team's campaigns for sure.  In which case for us Giants Fans, the New Year will either be ushered in leaving us feeling a little Green in the face, or thankful and calmed by a pleasant Blue sky above.  With a loss to the Jets however, there will be nothing left to play for and the end of the season will commence a time of judgement for many a man in Blue .  A loss will demand we enter the Giants' proverbial closets for the purposes of expelling some demons.  For this team played itself into this situation and quite honestly deserves to be up against the wall and be put under scrutiny. 




How did the Giants get themselves into this position?  For starters, there are two things the Giants have done well this season and two things only; throw the football and punt the football.  That's not exactly what you'd call a complimentary offensive attack.  The NFC East was begging for it to be dominated by the Giants.  But Big Blue chose to keep their division rivals in the hunt due in large part to woeful underachievement and a coaching staff unable to correct repeated, weekly mistakes.




Closer inspection says the Offensive Line had troubles which directly affected the running game.  The affected running game then conspired to keep our defense on the field.  And once the Giants' defense was on the field, the Secondary became every team's point of attack.  Teams were able to attack our Secondary with vigor, because the Giants' pass rush has all but disappeared.  The pass rush has all but disappeared because of injuries to Osi and Tuck.  But more than just those two individuals, injuries have taken a toll on this whole team.  And that's how we arrived at this do-or-die game against the Jets on Christmas Eve with the Giants in dire need of a gift wrapped win from 'ol Saint Nick.




If the Giants should win this game, there's still one more hill to climb.  I believe this team has a lot of talent on it.  When we do our things correctly, we can be a formidable team.  This team can beat anyone in the League.  That's why the season has been terribly frustrating.  They have a chance today to make all that irrelevant.  They have a chance to start anew today.  One win gives them life and an opportunity to extend their season deep into January.  Win or fail.  It's up to them.

*   *   *   *

The Met-Life Snoopy Bowl - I

NEW YORK GIANTS

vs.

NEW YORK JETS

The Giants' Offense versus the Jets' Defense:

If Coach Kevin Gilbride commits to the run, opens up effective play action, then picks his moments down field, the Giants Offense should win this battle.  But as we know, Kevin Gilbride has no idea how to play smash-mouth.  He has no idea how to manage a clock either.  His quick strike mentality has played into our Defensive malaise as well for he leads the league in longest pass attempts in the League.  But all his pass calling leads to too many three-and-outs or worse, lack of execution on third down conversions.  Eli is merely trying to execute the plays Gilbride calls.  So the message here is don't be greedy Coach!  Be patient with the run and let the game evolve through it....you idiot!


The Giants will be inserting David Baas back at Center today.  I wholly disagree with this move.  David Bass has very simply not been up to snuff.  The combination of Kevin Boothe, Mitch Petrus, and Chris Snee has been an improvement up the middle of the Line and has revived the running game.  With David Baas at Center, the running game was running in tar.  Coincidence?  Maybe.  But as a pragmatist, that's the way I see it.


And this may sound cocky and out of line, but Antonio Cromartie and Darelle Revis do not concern me.  I believe Eli can still eat them up.  The Jets can't get to the QB unless they send extra people.  If Rex gets a little too blitz happy, Eli will find the open man.  And don't underestimate Eli's willingness to incorporate Bear Pascoe into the plan.  The Jets inability to cover any tight-end this season must be at a minimum explored even in the absence of Jake Ballard.


If we find ourselves needing late game Eli magic again, I'm willing to bet it will be because the running game didn't do it's job; be it Gilbride, Jacobs and Bradshaw; or due to the reassembled Offensive Line featuring Baas at Center, and David Diehl and Kevin Boothe having been returned to their former slots.




The Giants' Defense Against the Jets Offense:


Even with a suspect Secondary, I still dare Marc Sanchez to throw the ball.  And the more he throws the ball, the better the chances are the Giants win this game.  Shonn Greene is running the ball very well.  But the Giants have gotten substantially better defending the run since the beginning to mid-part of the season.  And so, I'm banking a quarterback still trying to get a firm footing in this league won't be able to carry the Jets on his back today. 


Most of Marc Sanchez' success has come late in games.  Otherwise, he's looked mediocre for three of four quarters this season.  If Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell finally grows a set of footballs and brings the house against Sanchez, the Giants win.  Period.  But his fear of getting burned deep is resulting in the Giants....getting burned deep.  His paranoid attempts at zone coverage are killing us!  Marc Sanchez is behind a suspect Offensive Line and has been taking a pounding.  He just might very well be gun-shy at this point.  That's why Perry Fewell must attack Sanchez early and often to dictate what the Jets' two-headed Offensive Coordinator; Schotty-Moore; will do next.


Attack, attack, attack!  Attack him early.  Then see what we need to do in the second quarter going forward.


That's it folks.  If the Giants can not line up, and to a man, beat the guy in front of him, I'll no longer be in the belief the Giants can win a Super Bowl.  But anyone can deduce that for our season will be over.  I'm done with schemes and plans, and planning.  I want Giants Football back.  I want them to be stronger than the Jet in front of them.  I'm done with logistics.  I want the Giants'  muscles where their mouths are.







Mike.BTB

N.Y. JETS ~ A Clash For TITANS

THE SNOOPY BOWL - I

NEW YORK GIANTS

vs.

NEW YORK JETS

THE MET-LIFE GAME OF DEATH

NEW YORK JETS:   We Have a Penalty.  Prior to the Game, Failure to Keep Mouth Shut - Head Coach of the Green Team.  Penalty to be Assessed Saturday Afternoon.

Never before have the Giants taken on the Jets; or the Jets against the Giants;  -  depending upon which allegiance you subscribe to; where both teams had so much at stake.  It's a game in which both teams have everything to gain, along with everything to lose.  They're two desperate, wounded animals, while each is unknowingly more frightened than the other.  Who then is better than Met-Life to draw up and underwrite a policy for Saturday's upcoming East Rutherford Riot.  For in the aftermath of this game, one of these two team's seasons will surely die.

Rex Ryan already stepped out of line and prematurely cut the ribbon on Snoopy Bowl I.  He said the Jets are the better team and have been for two years now.  I don't listen to him much.  I'd rather take up issue with those who overzealously attack Rex for every word he says.  At least he gives it straight.   I'm a Giants Fan but I'm not a Jets Hater.  Although sometimes you fans make me sick.  But I'm mildly interested in the Jets' success just as long as it doesn't interfere with my interests, of course.

Rex is an interesting cat.  I get what he's up to.  If the Media is too busy with him, it leaves his team with more time to concentrate on preparation.  That works to a point.  But everyone can still see what happens on the field with their own eyes.  Additionally, by supporting his players and propping them up the way he does, he creates an "us against the world" mentality.  He gets his guys to want to jump in front of a bus for him.  And in doing so, perhaps gets more out of a player than a player thought he could give.  When you multiply that by a roster, what you're left with is a confident and rambunctious team.

I'm only one guy, and with all the other stuff I like to keep tabs on, I admit, the Jets have suffered the most.  I haven't necessarily posted about you guys all season long.  But that doesn't mean I don't see what's going on.  In my weekly PIGSKIN predictions, I always made sure to include a lengthy paragraph in-lieu of a dedicated post.  As a matter of fact, last year's playoffs were some of the more fun games to write about; especially that second Patriots game.  So like I said, the only thing that came between this blog and the Jets was a lack of time.

I'm not bragging at all here, just merely trying to point out that I think I have a grasp of your team and maybe even more so than my own team.  Whether I picked for or against the Jets, I am 12-1 picking Jets games this season against the spread.  WooHoo...yeah I know.

Go back and you'll see I said point blank, they'd lose three straight games against the Raiders; Ravens; and Patriots.  And that only after that, will they straighten out.  Not because I don't think they're a good team.  I thought that because there were too many changes to the roster and Tanenbaum strayed from a successful formula that almost worked the year before.

There it is.  I think Mike Tannenbaum over-shot your bid for a Super Bowl this year.  I think he tinkered too much.  But I'm not saying you can't win a Super Bowl.  I merely think you had a better shot last season.  I think last season will prove to have been the best shot once this present assemblage of players gets purged somewhere down the line.

J  -  E  -  T  -  S

Just  Enjoy  Tannenbaum's  Signings

That's what I said back then.  And I stand by it.  The Jets are a good team with a good Coach.  But Mike Tannenbaum out-thought this one coming into 2011 I'm afraid. 

I'm also not about to start ripping Marc Sanchez.  Do I think he's up to snuff?  Not really.  But the Giants went through a lot of growing pains with Eli also.  And you can't take four road playoff victories off his young resume.  Things will start to click for him a lot more next season.  Don't forget how little college experience he had.  On the job training can be a brutal endeavour in the NFL .

Can Marc Sanchez beat the Giants over the top Saturday?  Probably, every one else has.  So why shouldn't he?  Perhaps the new two-headed Offensive Coordinator; Shotty-Moore; can find the right plays that suit his touch.  Can the Jets burn the Giants' linebackers in coverage; especially with Dustin Keller?  Yep.  Everyone else has.  Will Marc Sanchez have enough time to find all these receivers behind a troublesome Offensive Line?  Probably.  The Giants' pass rush is currently MIA.  Osi Umenyiora will miss another game and Justin Tuck is a compromised player right now.  So.., yeah, Marc Sanchez might have enough time to see things develop down field.

Can the Jets run the ball against the Giants?  It's going to be harder to do than passing against them.  But it can be done.  If all the Jets are looking for is ninety or so yards rushing from Shonn Green, he should get it.  The Giants have actually tightened up on the run considerable since early to mid-way through the season.  If Shonn Green was able to rush for seventy-three yards against Philly last week, he should be able to hit ninety against the G-Men.  And that happens to be just slightly above the Giants' rush against average of  +/- eighty-six yards per game.  Fact is, Shonn Green above anyone else, will help Marc Sanchez out the most.

Defensively, I think the Jets can really limit the Giants' running game.  One reason is because they can.  Another reason is the odds Kevin Gilbride ignores the run are good.  The Giants are also down to their third-string Tight End.  Let's just say the Jets have been covering Tight Ends this season from afar.  Last game, the TV posted a stat of all the League's Tight Ends whom had superlative days against the Jets.

Elsewhere, the Jets sure as hell aren't getting to the QB either.  They haven't all year.  Eli will have time to throw, and as a result I think there will be some company on Revis Island this week.  The Giants Fan in me says Kevin Gilbride will ask Eli to throw the ball upwards of thirty-five to forty times.  So I'm sure there will be a pass or two begging to get intercepted.  But no pass rush and no Jim Leonard at Safety calling signals will definitely work in Eli Manning's favor.  However, I never discount Rex's ability to dial up a unique game plan to hunt down, in this case, Eli with.

Do I have a prediction?  No!  Not even as a Giants fan.  I have no clue is going to win this game.  At least today I don't.  Therefore Jet fans, I hope you guys play an amateurish, pathetic, and overall poor game.  Those are my hopes.  But good luck to you all the same. 

See you on the streets.

Mike.BTB

N.Y. JETS ~ REX's JETS get Grounded and Pounded

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL ~  Pittsburgh Steelers 24;  NEW YORK JETS 19


Bad ROAD TRIP:   Mind If We Dance With Your Dates? 

Not only didn't Otis Day and the Knights not "love" the Jets - They didn't even recognize the Jets when they walked in.  Showing up to that club was a bad idea from the start.  As soon as they walked in, the music stopped and all eyes were on them.  They settled in anyway for what was most likely going to be a very weird night. 

Once the music kicked-up again, one patron made it very clear he didn't want to talk and that he didn't go to college.  Another guy pulled out a switch-blade.  They had their tabled ripped out of the floor in front of them and to top it all off, had their dates taken away from them for a dance with strangers. 

When LEAVING! became the smart thing to do, they smacked up the car, along with a few others in the parking lot, in their attempt to flee and left the girls from Dickinson College behind to walk home alone.

Yes, the night was an unmitigated disaster; we know.


It's over Man; (Big Ben) Dean Wormer dropped the big one!  For Coach Rex Blutarsky and his Green Fraternity, I guess it IS seven years of College down the drain after all.  The Jets wound up tripping over their own marbles - all 10,000 of them.  The DeathMobile was really a Green Edsel in disguise.  And now,  there's no breaking beer bottles over Coach Blutarsky's head trying to cheer-up Flounder and getting him to stop crying about wrecking his brother's '64 Lincoln.

I think BOONE said it best and spoke for all, when he so eloquently said,

"You F%?#ed Up!...You Trusted Us!"


OK - So college was a complete waist of time for everybody, but Man! - wasn't it fun while it lasted?  Many of those characters from the movie all left Faber College behind to lead very different lives, just as free-agency will disperse some of this team's current players.  But the memory of their mayhem never went away and the memory of two great games against the Colts and Pats shouldn't either.  What the Boys achieved in one semester was Classic and something we who saw it, will remember for the rest of our lives.  When the pain subsides from this loss, Jet fans will look back on this season with endearment and acknowledge it for the Classic that IT was.

The horse, the toga party, the Mayor's daughter, the food fight, Dean Wormer's wife...  They were all worth it in the end even if they never got a chance to graduate.  So to Coach Blutarsky and the Boys..., Thanks for a great time.




NEW YORK JETS:  A Final Quiet Flight Home.

With a Better First Half, They Could Have Been
The TITANS of N.Y. Again!

So what happened out there?

Rex elected to defer the Kick-Off as is his custom.

Then, the Steelers proceeded to pounded out massive yardage running the ball and Big Ben capitalized on key downs by rumbling outside the Pocket. The Steelers went on a 9:06 minute drive ending in an opening possession touchdown.  Things went down hill from there for the Jets.  A Mark Sanchez fumble and return for a touchdown by Pittsburgh exacerbated the score and everybody went into halftime with the Steelers leading 24-3. 

The Jets Defense was plagued by poor tackling allowing over 100 yards rushing in the first half alone.  Offensively, the Jets could only gain ONE net positive yard running the ball and could not capitalize on a Big Ben interception.

In the second half, they gained back respectability.  Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene and the Defense worked to get 16 more points on the scoreboard making the contest a 24-19 affair.  The Defense held the Steelers scoreless in the second half and scored two points of their own with a Safety.

And then the biggest point of contention of the night would be Coach Schottenheimer and what happened at the goal line.  Because after that, the Steelers got the ball back and Big Ben rolled out one final time to get one more first down and secure the win for Pittsburgh.

That's the game, basically in a nut-shell.


Of note is, in spite of a horrible QB Rating, Big Ben had a most remarkable and disruptive game out of the pocket.  He not only ran for yardage, he rolled out and threw accurately on the run and controlled third down for the Steelers.

He dared throwing Darrelle Revis' way, which I thought he would.  And Revis really should have come down with an interception.  But two Big Ben interceptions, in the end, didn't come back and doom the Steelers.  Instead, all his other work outshines the numbers he's credited with in the box-score.

The Steelers' Defensive performance in the second half?  How much of the Jets comeback can be attributed to Pittsburgh sitting on a 24-3 lead?  It's hard to say.  Rex said the Jets made zero half-time adjustments because he thought things would turn around as it was.  Well, they did.  I'd like to think Shonn Greene made a difference and again, Sanchez had a great game.  You can say...If It Weren't For The Fumble-6 and What Went Wrong Down On The Goal Line..., the Steelers' Defense could have potentially blown it also.  So, I do believe the Jets comeback was real and not something the Steelers allowed for the sake of an expiring clock.


BUT, WHAT REALLY HAPPENED OUT THERE?

Well, I'll start with my own Preview: ~ Steel City Showdown.  If you take a second and go through it, it's still what I feel today and now I'm just questioning why Schotty wasn't as aggressive as I think they needed to be.

These teams almost mirrored each other.  I thought both defenses would remain stout, tough and stingy.  I knew Sanchez and Big Ben would be main reasons either team won.  And we all knew both teams would try to impose the running game on each other.  Actually...blah blah blah.  I didn't anticipate the Jets tackling so poorly in the first half and that's as much the reason why they lost as any.  You can point to a myriad of things actually.

You want a short list?

* The Goal Line Stand
* the Roughing the Kicker penalty
* a huge Cotchery drop
* a Mark Sanchez fumble that went for 6 points the other way
* not capitalizing on the first Big Ben INT.
* Pittsburgh rushing for over 100 yards in the first half and the Jets only gaining ONE
* poor first half tackling
* continued devotion and false-hope in LaDainian Tomlinson and not pounding with Shonn Greene
* not one pass to Braylon Edwards for nearly the first three quarters of the game
* etc  etc

** But they did hold the Steelers scoreless in the second half.

Here's the real point I want to bring out of my Preview.  I thought the Jets needed to take numerous chances down field in order to shake loose the running game for them. 

Here's some of what I said in my preview:

"And now, against the Steelers, Mark Sanchez has to win a game for the Jets by his lonesome. Mark and his Receivers will become the focal point of the Jets Offense because I think the Steelers will hold true, and limit the Jets' running game to low yardage. Mark is going to be responsible for managing 1st and 3rd downs while they try and squeeze something out of their running game. This is not to say they shouldn't be trying to enforce the run-first tact, but I do think they'll be managed.

So how do you combat the Steelers defense?  Well, they are very aggressive.  So I say you meet it with aggression.  I say be bold.  You have to make then back off the run other wise they will take it away from the Jets and tee-off on Sanchez.

I think Schotty is going to have to get a little West Coast on Pittsburgh.  Use the Steelers' aggression against them.  Screen passes, draw plays, scatter-passes to Shonn Greene out of the back-field, and a whole bunch of slant and crossing patterns.  But I really think Schotty and Sanchez need to take a lot of chances over the top. As a matter of fact, the very first play the Jets have from scrimmage should be "The Bomb".  Honest!  I would take multiple gambles going over the top.  That's what you're going to have to do if the Jets want to shake their running game loose.  Then hopefully by the 2nd half, the running game can find some daylight and run with power.

.....So, against the Steelers, this Offense may have to get out of it's element.  What Jet fans can hope for is that Schotty's play sheet has everything on it that Mark does best and that a few of those plays find their way.  Because even though the Jets beat the Steelers in the regular season, remember two points came on a Safety and another touchdown was scored on a kick-return. So, Mark Sanchez will have to engineer more than 13-points this time around.

........On Offense, Nothing Ventured; Nothing Gained.  If I'm Rex I'm playing this game ultra-aggressively.  This is for the AFC Championship. Rex wants to win this time.  The Team wants to win this time. Their fans want them to win this time.

So I say TAKE IT! I say try and overwhelm them. I say launch a couple a balls deep early, and see if Braylon Edwards or Holmes can pull down a pass and inflict an early body blow. Because that's the way this has to be.   It has to hurt. The Jets need to make the Steelers think about something else other than the run......"

Well, that's what I said.  That's how they scored on Holmes' touchdown.  They tried only a few down-field passes in the first half.  Braylon Edwards I believe blew a route on one of them but more glaring is the fact he didn't have a reception for most of the first three quarters of the game.  But Coach Schottenheimer never really gave the deep threat a chance while the play was there waiting for them all night!  The Steelers secondary isn't great aside from that guy with a lot of hair.  And so what happened?  The Steelers took the run away from the Jets allowing them ONE yard rushing in the 1st half and they tee-d of on Sanchez causing a fumble-6.  Coach Schottenheimer didn't do enough to make the Steelers' defense think differently.  He needed to be more aggressive and pick on their corners with deep passes.  Why else did Mike Tannenbaum bring in Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes in the first place?  This was supposed to be the game where they improved upon the Offensive disappearance in last years' Championship game.  This was the game; not any other before this!

Then, there was The Goal-Line Stand.  Again, I believe Coach Schottenheimer got it all wrong.  Of course he got it all wrong.  People in Mongolia knew he got it wrong.  Every unborn Jet Fan will come to learn how wrong he got four plays that ran his team into the ground and kept them out of the Super Bowl.  Say what you will about the first half.  Yes it went bad, but too often we are reminded it's not how you start; it's how you finish.  Ask the Giants for a lesson in that (See Eagles). 

Why did this team and Coordinator rely so heavily on LaDainian Tomlinson based on greatness from years gone by?  Shonn Greene has been the young legs propelling the Jets running game ever since LT began to disappear mid-way through the season.  He should have been featured, not only in the first half, but on the goal-line hand-off that went to LT instead.  There were for downs, one yard, three feet and Glory to go.  Shonn Greene should have been choice one, two, three and four.  But Coach Schottenheimer elected to hand the ball off to someone who once upon a time would have flown over the pile, but this time couldn't use his walking cane to pole-vault onto a sidewalk.  Do we have to rehash the two pass calls?  Let's not, right?

Execution during the most critical, crucial moments of a game is the mark of a Champion.  But even great players need help.  Winners are still needy of a Coach putting them into position where-by they can make greatness transpire on the field.  Sanchez had himself a great day regardless of his coach and in that critical time, the QB needed and demanded more and better from his Coordinator.

Brian Schottenheimer didn't do that.  Instead, during those critical four downs near the goal line, I felt, I observed, someone who operated with a complete lack of urgency and didn't rise up to the challenge of the moment.  The play selection is a wholly different matter for which he deserves his very well deserved criticism.

I'm not a Jets fan so I'm perhaps not qualified to fan-dump someone's job.  But I do know you Jet fans have been complaining for years about this guy.  He drives you as crazy as Kevin Gilbride does me...and I don't blame you.



And what to make of the season now?

There's alot of opinions about players, Rex and the season to occupy space with.  Maybe a lot of that gets dealt with in the future. 

For now, I'll leave it at this:

If the Jets had not beaten the Colts in the first playoff game, Coach Rex and the Jets would have been pointed at, laughed at, ridiculed and mocked.  A decades' worth of new jokes and immature, but funny ways to manipulate J-E-T-S would have been arming a new generation of 13-year-olds' ridicule towards the team to use against their friends for a decade to come.

Had they lost to the Patriots, their fortitude would have been questioned; everything would have been questioned.  They, the verbal participants of Trash Talk Week, would have gotten destroyed by the media.  As a matter of fact, the whole thing would have been a complete disaster.  We'd still be sheltering ourselves from the fall-out.  A comprehensive, all-out media Blitz would have be brought upon JetsNation with a loss in Foxborough.

And now that the Playoff run has ended with a loss to the Steelers, I just want to reach into my pocket, pull out a pack of candy Life-Savers, and offer you one.  There's nothing to be embarrassed about.  No one should be receiving any more criticism than the routine Blah Blah blah...that usually follows a season that doesn't end with a Super Bowl.

Don't be so hard on yourselves.  Being in the Final Four is fun and the ride was great.  Sports, after-all, are more about failure, than anything else.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. JETS ~ Operation FOOT STOMP; It's Go Time!

JETS WIN!  Take One:


Look!  Up In The Sky!!  Run for your LIVES!!!
The Same ol' JETS ARE COMING!

Foxborough; Boston; Massachusetts; New England; The North East; Western Civilization.....They were all ready, and in position, just like last time in Week 13.

And just like last time, superior leadership was supposed to rule the day...Again.  But, Failure to Prepare is Preparing to Fail; - And so it is that Patriot One is the ultimate task Master and is famous for always having his Modern Day Minutemen in the highest states of preparedness. 

Simon Bar Sinister prepared his men to inflict the same kind of 15 to 1 casualty rates (45-3 blow-out) that devastated their opponent and had them bleeding GREEN in the aftermath of the most recent failed attempt to blot out Patriot skies.  A tattered and battered JETS Squadron barely made it back to WOODY A.F. Base.

Once again, the Minute Men were ready.....But this time, for Rex's Revenge.

But, the element of surprise was gone.  Patriot Intel picked-up and heard every transmission emanating out of New York City (and their big mouths).  New England knew exactly when they'd be arriving down to the day; hour; and minute. 

Patriot One; the Master Planner, assured everyone, Foxborough would remain as safe as it always was.  Many a foe have tried to break the Walls of Foxborough, and failed.  Most, if not all denizens of Massachusetts felt secure in the thought this was to be the latest attempt that would fall short of it's mission.  His men, companions and fans alike, all felt and fed off the rock-hard confidence of their stoic leader.  So, with all his pieces in place, plans and details checked..., re-checked, and morale high, the leader of Patriot Force ordered radio silence, then shut-off the lights to the city, and waited.  The trap was set.  Soon, the RAT Coach would be drawn to his beloved cheeseburger and.....

Shortly after dusk, the calm of the early night was broken.  The first faint rumble of approaching JETS could be heard far off in the distance.  "Steady!"...ordered Patriot One.

The rumbling in the sky intensified; louder.   Then... A Slip and a Blip! 

Wes Welker keyed a mike!  Oh My!  He broke Patriot One's direct order and their positions had no doubt been compromised at that moment because of it.  "SILENCE!" Patriot One ordered again.

Gasp!

Everything remained still on the ground as the skies started to thunder overhead.  From the darkness above, fortune cookie sized notes attached to little Green parachutes began to rain down on Foxborough.

Every little GREEN parachute dropped the same message for everybody on the field, in the stands and Sports Bars across New England.  It said:

"Eat Me!" -  with Love, Caring and Affection ~ Coach REX BLUTARSKY.


With his positions revealed and now having to play his hand, Patriot One ordered the search lights on and pointed skyward.  Foxborough collectively screamed with horror as they caught sight of what was headed their way.  Directly over head, and where ever they pointed a light; - for as far as New Englanders could or could not see in the Massachusetts Night, there was wave after wave and formation upon formation of NEW Fearsome, Hulking, Angry-looking, belching, Big GREEN Bombers, retro-fitted and re-armed with a Smarter Plan, Renewed Confidence, Intelligent Brutality, and Destiny seemingly on their side.  Eeek!

Frightened, terrified, and in a panic, the fans inside Foxborough made furious scrambles towards all exits and into the parking lots, tripping over eachother trying to get back to the shelter of their homes.  Most of them deserted their team and left them to get bombarded alone.  Sports Bars furiously got patrons and fans to help board-up windows and doors.

Meanwhile..., Up Above:

REX ~ Iron Bird...this is Big GREEN.  I got a Blip.  You're free to commence Operation Foot Stomp on your mark.  It's time to squash some bugs.

SCHOTTY ~ Roger that GREEN ~ TiTan One this is Iron Bird, come in TiTan One...over.

SANCHEZ ~ TiTan One...over.

SCHOTTY ~ Operation Foot Stomp is a Go.  Squash Bugs; I repeat, Squash Bugs is Go.

SANCHEZ ~ Wilco..Foot Stomp.  All TITANS....TiTan One;  IT'S GO TIME!!  On My MARK!

And with that folks, the payload doors opened and REX dropped a game plan Bill Belichick was thoroughly unprepared to defend against.  The JETS Defense blew up the Patriots Offensive Line and the line of scrimmage, to include the Pats' running game, and Tom Brady's entire game.  Five sacks hit their intended target.  Mark Sanchez launched lethal strike after lethal strike against the Patriots' Secondary with nearly 65% accuracy, highlighted by three crushing precision hits that went for touchdowns.  An interception, a respectable running game and some very remarkable Receiver work with huge catches and romping Y-A-Cs (see Braylon Edwards) were all part of the Weapons-of-Pats-Destruction used against New England.

SANCHEZ ~ Iron Bird,  this is TiTan One;  if it wiggled, we got it.  Clean-up on isle nine.  We have a Condition GREEN.  Over.

SCHOTTY ~ Roger, TiTan One.  Good job.  Return to base.  Big GREEN; Iron Bird One....the message has been delivered.  We're headed home.

REX ~ This is Big GREEN, Copy that!  They're keeping dinner warm for you at the Hanger.  Out.

REX ~ POUND 1; GROUND 6 ~ Sit-Rep...Over!  Talk to Daddy.

S.ELLIS ~ GROUND 6...Blue Sideline secured sir!
S.GREENE ~ POUND 1 here....The Flag is in the Ground.  The field is ours.  Small pack of  Patriots headed toward open end of Stadium.

REX ~ Let 'em go Boys.  Today is their lucky day.  Great work; Smoke 'em if you got 'em!  See you back home.  Big Daddy out.

...And then, they were gone;  headed back to Delta House.  What they left behind was payback for revoking their charter; taking the bar, and all the stuff they didn't steal BUT MOST of all, for the beating in the Motel Room.

Back at Foxborough, the next morning was too soon.  Confidence that usually accompanies sunrise after an evening of devastation and destruction, stayed hidden in a closet or underneath a bed, shaking through-out the day.  Over twenty four hours have passed, and the denizens of Massachusetts and greater New England are only now starting to peek out from behind their shuttered windows; barricaded doors; fortified Man-Caves; and boarded-up Sports Pubs.  They waited a full day plus, to walk out in the open and survey the damage of Sunday night's N.Y. JETS raid.

For Simon Bar Sinister; a.k.a. - Patriot One - Bill Belichick, and his young team of Minute Men, it's back to the Lab to keep working on the reconfiguration of the Patriots.  For them, this rebuilding season was thrown off track by a Division Title.  And whether you want to hear it in the midst of a celebratory time for Jets fans or not, Bill Belichick will take all those draft picks he accumulated by trading away solid veteran starters and build himself a new dynasty for Tom Brady to end his career with.  He'll be back, just like the JETS came back.  The Patriots' season was all about Belichick getting every last spoon-full out of his New England bowl of young Chowdah' Heads.  But this was all they had left and it wasn't enough.  After playing three games against each other, once and for all, the Jets clearly showed they had more and were the better team of the two.  Nuff' Ced!

Coach Rex didn't just win the day like he said he would.  He wrecked it, piled the rubble high and plopped a big N.Y. JETS  flag on it.  And so, in the Battles of the PIGSKIN Wars, to the Victor, the Spoils. 

Back at the Hangar, everybody made it back home safe.  The Victory Party was in full swing.  Mrs. Blutarsky was there to greet her Big GREEN Hero with a giant hug and a bigger victory kiss.  They, and all the fly-boys, ground crews, coordinators, players, Woody and their Best Gals, clicked their heals, put their best foot foward and danced, drank and Drifted the Night Away.


What's between Rex and his wife, is between Rex and his Wife!  Who's laughing now?


Roger That!  Mission accomplished.  Out.



Bwahahaha!  BWahahahahaha!




Mike.BTB

N.Y. JETS ~ Return to Foxborough - Rematch vs. Patriots

NEW YORK JETS:  It's Time To Pay "The BILL".

Bill Belichick is a Football Marxist in a hoodie.  He controls the means of Patriots' production and play distribution like a Pigskin Socialist.  Players who's contract situations or attitudes that become hindrances, disappear.  There is one master plan and you are free to follow it and contribute towards the benefit of the whole.  Play to your capabilities, and reap what you need.  The second you stray from the plan and rebel against uniformity will be the next time you wake up without having to put on a Patriots' Jersey for a living.


It will be Coach Belichick who will be the first one to recognize if the Jets came to play.  He'll know right away whether or not Rex brought enough cash to stack chips high enough to last the night, or if he spent all his money during the week like a drunken sailor on shore leave.


But, Bill Belichick also knows teams that refuse to stay down and continue to linger around are a problem.  He knows when teams have had everything thrown at them, to include the kitchen sink, and remain resilient and unfazed by adversity, those teams are hell to face.  Even after beating the Jets 45-3 the last time these two teams met in Foxborough, Bill Belichick knows, someone who repeatedly gets up after being knocked down never ceases being formidable, and become an even more dangerous opponent because they are numb to the pain and spit in the face of conventional wisdom. 

Bill Belichick knows more about Defying The Odds than just about anyone in Football today.  So he knows exactly where Rex Ryan is coming from.

Obviously, Coach Rex disturbed the hornets nest with the continued jabs he chose to take at his opponents. Aside from knowing a thing or two about Defense, as the Jets' Head Coach, running his mouth is what he does best.  I don't know why, but then again, he is Buddy Ryan's son.  Buddy Ryan once punched his own team's Offensive Coordinator in the face while on the sidelines during a TENN Titans game on Monday Night Football.  This apple didn't just fall and stay close to the tree.  Rex fell out of the sky like a piano and cracked the sidewalk.  Nothing about him is subtle and eveything that comes from Rex is big.  While it's unlikely Rex will take a page from his Pop's playbook and punch Belichick in the face, Coach Rex is like Bill Belichick in this regard; they were both born to work in Football and they both know how to make their teams jump in front of buses for them.  Rex, like Belichick, as an infant, pooped Football shaped pellets, but just in a much bigger diaper.  They are both Defensive minded coaches.  That's their background and forte'. They may both have had trouble in grade school grasping simple things like the alphabet, because all they know or care about are X's and O's.


Here's where the Coaches diverge.  It's all about Supply and Demand.  Coach Rex supplies his team with an environment he feels they can prosper in.  Coach Belichick demands every player adhere to a prosperous formula.

OK...,So Rex wrote a bunch of checks he asked his team to back; Big deal.  Players like to be put in that position by someone they like.  But a problem arose when the players joined the frenzy and started writing their own checks.  Who was backing them?  Does that sound familiar America?

Bill the Socialist, meet Rex the Capitalist.

Some would argue, economically, uncovered debt and deficit spending is the stimulus that allowed this country to become a dominant economic power among other things.  But there's another side of Capitalism; a darker more treacherous side.  The Jets have everyone asking if they're writing checks their butts can't cash?  Their leverage is all leveraged out.  Now they are, what they refer to as being Naked on the Street.  All kinds of uncovered and naked debt is what triggered the Great Financial Crash of '29 and the Depression that followed.  If the Jets aren't very careful, that's just the way they may find themselves Sunday night; Naked in the Street.

By 8pm Sunday evening, there's going to be a margin call and the big question is who's getting stuck with THE BILL?  Will Coach Rex's and his player's checks bounce and send JetsNation crashing into a state of Depression?  Or will Coach Belichick have to eat this one and just get to write it off as a LOSS to the State?



NEW YORK JETS:  The Time For Talking Has Ended;
LET'S GET IT ON!!!

While the other six teams participating in this weekend's playoff games spent their time practicing and preparing, the Jets and Patriots have been fighting it out all week, not bothering to wait for Sunday like two angry brothers at a Pub, who stopped in to tilt-back a few on their way to a fight.  Sunday afternoon's game will merely be the TV portion of this on-going scrap.

It wasn't only Rex talking.  Of course there was Antonio Cromartie's poetic words, but Wes Welker joined in.  Coach Belichick even offered a joke or two on the home-town radio shows.  Tom Brady had something to say as did Nick Mangold.  They've all done it.  If not this time, for sure during a time in the past someone from either side was always saying something (or pointing).  The only good that can come out of this, with all the Hot-Air blowing around, is the chances of snow up in Foxborough will be low. 

Hopefully, at some point during all the name-calling, bickering, cat-fighting, and trash talking, a Football Game will break out and all debts will be settled once and for all.


When The N.Y. JETS Are On Offense:

MARK SANCHEZ does not need to win this game for the Jets.  But he has to help and he can't blow it.  He WILL have to play Sunday like he has never played before in Foxborough however; and that would mean playing WELL.  He's played there twice in his short career and has 1 touchdown and 7 interceptions worth of memories to show for it.

How is that shoulder?  His passes have been off, wide, and high for a few weeks.  Mark Sanchez could always throw the long pass well.  With short throws, he's OK too.  His middle range pass has always been suspect.  The aching shoulder may be exasperating that fact.  But he was already predisposed to the problem.  That's Coach Schotty's problem to contend with, and for him to game-plan around.

Ideally, if the Jets play this right, Sanchez won't have to throw too often.  But it's crucial he be accurate with his passes none-the-less.  Completions, to the correct jerseys, are paramount.  Accuracy and completions are task number one for Mark this Sunday.  He doesn't need to be concerned with the big play.  What's needed from him is accuracy and completions for 1st downs!  The Jets' ability to gain 1st downs against the Patriots Defense will help keep the Jets offense on the field; the Jets defense off the field; and the ball out of Tom Brady's hands.  The Jets ability to gain 1st downs, especially late in the game, will go a long way towards determining if the Jets win or not.  The Jets failed to gain a 1st down late against the Colts with two consecutive three-and-outs, that almost cost them their season.

If the Big Play presents itself, then fine; you take your chances.  In the NFL.., Nothing Ventured; Nothing Gained.  But 1st downs will be the name of the game, and that means Dustin Keller and Shonn Greene must be targets off the line in Keller's case, and out of the backfield in Shonn's.  Those two will open up opportunities for Holmes and Edwards to make a big play.  But the Jets must be patient with their possessions and concentrate on 1st downs.

But what Mark Sanchez really needs to be, is complimentary to the Run Game.

Peyton Manning had two chances with the ball in the second half; TWO.  The Jets had three substantial drives versus INDY.  Their quality first-half first drive was short circuited by an interception.  But two more time consuming, Ground and Pound drives in the 2nd half were directly responsible for limiting Peyton's playing time.  One drive in particular lasted 17 plays and took 9:54 off the clock.  LaDainian Tomlinson scored two touchdowns to cap off those drives against the Colts.

The Jets must do this again.  They must commit to the running game and be patient with it.  Shonn Greene should be leading the rush.  Shonn Greene left; Shonn Greene right; Shonn; Shonn; Shonn; all night long.
Let LT give Greene a break from time to time.  But Shonn Greene must be the man rushing the ball and he must be utilized out of the backfield considerably if the Jets are to hold on to the ball.  They can do it behind a fine Offensive Line who really should be able to push a smaller Patriots' Front, backwards.

The Tight-End and the Running Game can make sweet music together if you know how to play 'em.  During half-time of the INDY game, I think Coach REX finally took a firm grip around Coach Schotty's "game-plan" and forced him to sell out with the Run.  Coach Rex is an Old Hand, and he knows the tune well.  Coach Rex wants to DJ this Boston Rave using the Run Game, but even he knows, Mark Sanchez still has to help out with the Mix.

If Sanchez stays patient, and sticks with the dump-offs to Greene and finding Dustin Keller, the Big Play will come screaming his name.  Then, it will be up to Sanchez to capitalize.  The opportunity will present itself where Braylon Edwards or Santonio Homes can come up big for the Jets; but they need to do it exercising patience.

Don't forget and more importantly, don't repeat the futility with how the Jets started the game against the Pats last time; by trying to open with a No-Huddle scheme.  Coach Rex recognizes the mistakes he made going into and during their last encounter.  He said himself, he's through trying to fool people after the Colts game.  From now on he's just going to line up his guys and try to be stronger than the other team.  That's something that maybe even Bill Belichick can't over-come or out-coach.  Getting man-handled is a state-of-mind.  And Coach Rex has his guys in a lather.  If the Jets can prevent themselves from getting out-technique'd and out-thunk...., if they get primitive, so to say, I think they have a chance to actually smack them around a little bit, behind their Offensive Line (even with the loss of Woody).

Of course, no turnovers, no penalties...Blah, Blah.  Sell-out with the Run; hit your Tight End and let the big play come to you.  It's up to Coach Schottenheimer to set up Mark Sanchez correctly.  But it's up to the Offensive Line and Shonn Greene to control the clock.  Run to Daylight!  For this game, the Jets best defense against Tom Brady is their Offense and it's ability to stay on the field.


When The N.Y. JETS Are On Defense:

With no Jenkins and no Leonard, the Jets' interior is akin to a shark's Soft White Under-Belly.  Bill Belichick and Tom Brady avoided the tooth of the shark (Darelle Revis) and attacked their soft belly the last time they met at Foxborough.  Rex's team was gutted and filleted 45-3.  The Patriots attacked the Jets, and in particular their Safety's with Tight-Ends, Slot-Receivers and a running game that kept them off balance all night long.  There is absolutely no reason for the Patriots to stop picking on the Safety's now.  That means Brodney Poole's name will be mentioned a lot Sunday.

But what was most damaging to the Jets in that 45-3 drubbing was falling behind too early and by too many points.  If the Jets fall behind early again and have to play from behind over the last three quarters, then all the best laid plans will go to waste.  I think they can still afford to be patient with the running game while managing a 7 point deficit.  Anything more, and they will be in big trouble.

The Patriots haven't lost at home since...the Bush Administration?  In order to change that, the Offense will have to stay on the field, but on Defense, the Jets will have to make stops.  Tom Brady and the Patriots will score at some point.  The Jets just need to make him a little less successful that normal.  If the Offense can keep the ball out of Brady's hands and the Defense can make some critical stops, the fourth quarter might present the Jets with a chance for victory.

The Pass Rush the Jets lack?  Well, they're not going to find one now.  With Brady's three-step drops, you really have to be clever if you blitz him.  So, To Blitz or Not Top Blitz?  That is the question.

If you blitz him from the outside, it just takes too long to get there with three-step drops.  And quite honestly, I don't think they should commit anyone from the Secondary to the Blitz.  The Blitz will have to come from the Linebackers, and it needs to come up the middle where the rush gets to him quickest.  I think the Jets should disguise, but then rush only two and three after Brady.  Let 8 defenders cover and punish receivers.  It's a ploy right out of Belichick's play-book.  Every Patriot receiver (Welker) must be punished for going across the middle.  Period.  Getting your hands on Brady is a tough task, so Plan-B should be to pound the receivers instead.  The Jets need to trust the one-on-one coverage and protect the middle of the field.  They can do it with less pass-rush.

This is another area where Coach Rex's team can really exert some brutish physicality upon the Patriots Offense.  Disrupting the passing game and being mindful of the run, just might clear a path to Tom Brady himself.  If the Jets can plant a seed into New England Receivers crossing over the middle, how does Bill Belichick out-coach that?

Tom Brady hasn't thrown an interception since....Prohibition?  He's thrown four interceptions all season and two of them came against the Jets in Week 2.  That's something to believe in I guess.  But don't count on it.  Instead, if he notices there's no pass rush, he may do something foolish, like run, and present the Jets Defense an opportunity to pound him in the open field (I'm trying here...OK?).

Maybe not.  But like I said, protect the middle of the field and MAKE TACKLES.  They will make catches.  Just limit their yards-after-catch with good tackles.  If Revis and Cromartie are great tomorrow, maybe the guys in the middle can keep that soft white under belly protected.

Don't count on turnovers.  Just make stops..



Etcetera...

If the Jets' Special Teams can keep giving them the effort and results they've been supplying, it would be a huge bonus.  They will need it!  They will need excellent punting.  You just can't give the Patriots good field position.  If they can manage to score points on Defense, even better.  Use your Challenges wisely and don't trip anybody on the sidelines.


FINAL WORD:

Mike Tannenbaum built this team to win now.  Their ultimate moment will be upon them Sunday afternoon.  The Coach he hired isn't afraid to fail.  That's a trait of great coaches and great players.  I'm not calling anybody great.  But I know Rex isn't afraid to fail.  Coach Rex has generated a lot of heat since he took over as Head Coach, and maybe just enough to burn the Patriots for a day.  That's all Coach Rex said he's looking for; A Day.  He wants to be better than Belichick for one day.  It's not far fetched.  The guy knows Football.

The REX DAY is the same as Tannenbaum's NOW.  With a Jets loss, there will be that problem of some bounced checks and a lot of explaining to do by both the GM and Head Coach.  The Media might be just a tad bit more forgiving because they weren't an in-and-done team.  It still will be rough going though.  And if the Jets lose miserably, well, then...., there's going to be Hell to Pay as Rex will be viewed as having stepped in his own mess.

For the Jets, there's an awful lot riding on this game.  The aftermath of a Jet loss can be brutal for them and especially Coach Rex.  However, on the other side of Doom, a Jets' win can be glorious and Green.



P.S. - I'm still witholding my pick till tomorrow because I just don't know yet.

Saturday's Line Is:
PATRIOTS -8 1/2 Jets



MORE:
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2011/01/nyjets-rexs-plan-calls-for-brute-force.html
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2011/01/ny-jets-rex-vs-belichick-iii-its.html
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2011/01/ny-jets-rex-gives-indy-nag-boot.html
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2011/01/ny-jets-what-makes-coach-rex-smile.html




MIke.BTB