New York Jets: A Blueprint for Disaster

From the desk of:   A Blue-Blooded Giants Fan



NEW YORK JETS:  Striking Out In Their Bid To Secure Nnamdi Asomugha Sent Gang Green Into Tailspin.

How Do You Like Brian Schottenheimer Now?

Tim Tebow is a good place to start this discussion.  Why was he brought here and who wanted him?  The only four suspects involved are Coach Sparano, Rex, Mike Tannenbaum, and Woody Johnson.


Somehow Tony Sparano actually made Coach Brian Schottenheimer look good.  Schotty's departure shed light on Mark Sanchez' game.  Evidently there was a reason Schotty never unleashed Mark Sanchez.  Coach kept the QB, who Pete Carroll claimed was not ready for the NFL, within his limits.  Without Schottenheimer, Mark Sanchez was a complete disaster in his fourth NFL season.


Being methodical and play-calling within an offensive unit's means is easily confused with being boring, unoriginal and/or displaying lack of creativity, and things of that nature.  So in a town like NYC, Schotty wore on the fan base; naturally.  In obvious hindsight, I offer Schotty gave Sanchez structure, in-game management, and direction.  Save the issue of talent surrounding Sanchez for Mike Tannenbaum.  But perhaps it was Schotty who squeezed and manipulated Sanchez into being a capable enough QB that could HELP his team qualify for back-to-back AFC title games.  Clearly by 2011, the talent level around Sanchez started to erode.  And today it is very clear the coaching Mark Sanchez received under Tony Sparano was substandard.  Matt Cavanaugh has been his Mark's QB coach under both offensive coordinators.  If Matt has been the constant for Sanchez, the difference in his performance under Schotty and Sparano are made even more stark.  Tony Sparano was fired in Miami and helped make the Jets worse.  Schottenheimer was fired by the Jets then helped make the Rams better.  Go figure, right?  Schottenheimer had previous experience as a QB coach with the Chargers.  Sparano did not.


The Jets claimed all along Tim Tebow was the back-up to Mark Sanchez.  And to their credit, they handed Mark the season.  They even avoided giving Tebow the ball late in the season.  Even though  Sparano utilized a wildcat system in Miami, whatever the plan for Tim Tebow was, it became very clear to me Tony Sparano had no idea how to implement a two QB system.  There is a big difference. And based on the way Tebow was utilized this season, there was indeed no plan for Tim Tebow; at least no evident plan exhibited by Tony Sparano.


So did Tony Sparano want him around?  Doubtful.  Ditto goes for Rex Ryan.  I do not subscribe to the Wes Welker Effect.  When with the Miami Dolphins, Welker repeatedly burnt the Patriots.  So Bill Belichick traded for him.  Because Tim Tebow was instrumental in defeating the Jets the year prior doesn't make me believe Rex lobbied his GM to trade for Tebow.  Everyone has already chimed in about Rex's ignorance with regards to offense.  But even as the head coach, he strained and often found himself at a loss for words when trying to rationalize Tebow's existence, much less his role.  Rex Ryan straining for words?


The truth about Tim Tebow lies somewhere between Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum.  Whether the GM was just acquiescing Woody Johnson and his bottom line, or whether GM Mike Tannenbaum instigated the trade himself are no longer important.  The GM is gone.  The offensive coordinator should be shown the door shortly.  Tebow will soon be gone too.  And you can't fire the owner.  Rex however, might survive to coach another year depending on the next General Manager.


But what wreckage the former General Manager left behind.  The talent he and Eric Mangini assembled served Rex Ryan well during his first two seasons as coach.  The talent assembled by Rex and Tannenbaum over the last two seasons have not.  Or, they did a poor job replacing outgoing players.  Pick your poison.  But in my opinion, the Jets really did themselves a disservice when they cleared players and cap room in an all-out effort to secure cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.  By the time Nnamdi signed with Philly, quality players left on the open market, much needed by the Jets to fill other holes, were all gone.


And that's how I think the Jets have arrived upon today.


The defense has been solid enough.  But they were asked to do way too much for four seasons.  Their window is now just about closed.  Offensively, the Jets have problems at QB, offensive line, receiver, and with the running game.  If you include Dustin Keller's contract status, the Jets have problems at tight end too.  Great.


The next General Manager of the Jets better eat his Wheaties and brew a lot of coffee.  He has lots of work to do.



Mike.BTB

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: Haven't Fumbled Away The Division Yet

From the desk of:   A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN

 

Will Marc Sanchez Be Sleeping With The Fishes after Week Eight?

NEW YORK JETS: Back Pedaling Into Week Eight Against Dolphins.  The Jets Still Have No Plan For Tebow, And Their Trust In Sanchez Is All But Spent.


That's a tough way to lose.  Games within the grasp are hard to accept.  Especially when they're in Foxboro.  Just ask Marc Sanchez.  I hear him getting a lot of flack for getting sacked and fumbling the ball in over-time.  I saw two offensive linemen get badly beaten on the play.  But once you start back pedaling, everyone knows your in trouble.  Yeah, New England got on him quick.  Bad foot work?  Maybe.  But you still need to protect the football.


Among so many things to chose from, the failure of the Jets to hold 4th quarter leads, or blowing games in the 4th quarter, will be their demise.  Through all the nonsense of Tim Tebow, losing Derrelle Revis, and a host of other matters, the Jets have still been in position to win games.  It's no doubt a tough pill to swallow.


Sunday, the Jets did almost everything they needed to.  Marc Sanchez threw for 300+ yards.  The Jets rushed for over 100 yards as well.  Running the ball was a combined effort but they managed the yardage none the less.  Dustin Keller was back in full effect, and the difference in Sanchez was very  noticeable.  But an earlier interception and the final fumble were too much - too many mistakes.  It was a game Marc Sanchez had in hand against a division rival and let get away.


New England is far from leading the pack.  Sunday's win only improved their record to 4-3.  The Jets now have a 3-4 record.  The division is still very very salvageable.  But after losses to the Steelers, 49ers, Texans, and now the Patriots, you have to really question where the Jets belong on the NFL's pecking order.  Their victories came against a flaky Bills team, an overtime win over Miami, and they beat a pretty bad Colts team.


Meanwhile, the secret plans for implementing Tim Tebow are out.  There is no secret plan.  We are heading into Week Eight, and there is still no cohesive plan for Tim Tebow on offense.  Interestingly, the Jets play Miami this weekend.  The last time these teams met in Week Three was the closest Coach Sparano came to giving Jets fans any indication Tim Tebow had purpose, much less a role outside special teams assignments.  Is Coach Sparano's plan to unleash Tim Tebow on the Dolphins again?  Instead of saying stop the nonsense, I'll say sticking with Sanchez is the way to go.


Why is a former (Sparano) offensive line coach's offensive line still playing so horribly?  The Jets allowed five sacks Sunday.  It is worth saying this was the problem with the offensive line last season.  So if lack of faith in their quarterback is what they suffer, well then, the team will just have to just  trust him even more.





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

New York Jets: System Check Reveals Faults Before Take-Off

From the desk of:  A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN

J  -  E  -  T  -  S

Just - Endure - Tannenbaum's - Signings

NEW YORK JETS:  If You Really Want To Know What Woody Johnson's Priorities Are, Fire Mike Tannenbaum.


This is all just one man's opinion of course.  As such, I believe Bill Parcells departed the Jets, and left behind someone who at the time was put in place because of his salary cap savvy.  He was someone however with a limited football background.  That person, Mike Tanenbaum, was eventually promoted to the office of General Manager.  He and Eric Mangini actually started to build something credible.  Their drafting was hit or miss.  But together they generally brought in quality people and good players.  Eric Mangini's personality and coaching style left much to be desired though, so his team stopped responding to him.  No wonder there.  Needless to say, the Jets made a switch and hired Rex Ryan.  And it was a good hire.


I believe Rex Ryan took what was left over from the Mangini era, and with some tweaking by him and Mike Tannenbaum, elevated the Jets into AFC Championship contenders.  In the newest era of Jets Football, the 2009 season was best.  The 2010 season less so.  And then we all know what happened last season.


The differences in personnel from the 2008-2009 Jets to this season are stark.  And many fans are still undecided as to whether the changes have been for the better.  This is what I feel.  There is a certain measure of quality control a GM must maintain.  There is also a certain degree of direction they must exert over their Coaches as well.  The team vision must come from the General Manager; not from the Head Coach, up.  More on the owner's role later.  But for now, Mike Tannenbaum fails on all counts.  Instead, the Jets GM is Rex Ryan's biggest enabler.  For three years he kept feeding Coach Ryan's hearty appetite for controversy.  The newly adopted tact he teamed up with Rex was diametrically opposed to the way he and Eric Mangini conducted business together.


At the heart of the matter, Mike Tannenbaum's transactions have brought discord into the clubhouse for the last two seasons running.  In 2009, less behaved athletes were still kept in check by guys like Kris Jenkins, etc.  For the most part, those safeguards fail to exist today; not in decent numbers anyway.  His locker room refurbishment has also earned him a full range of criticism.  And the Jets as a whole dominate the tabloids sometimes for all the wrong reasons.


There is no coincidence regarding the down tick, or the fall off if you will, from 2009 to last season.   As more Mangini era players fell by the way side, Mike Tanenbaum kept importing increasingly questionable talent and difficult characters.  He in effect transformed the locker room; not Rex Ryan.  Tannenbaum was the one who relaxed quality control.  A head coach, be it Mangini or Rex Ryan, can ask for the moon.  That doesn't mean they'll get it..., if you catch my drift.  It's up to a GM to keep a Coach's whims in check as well.


Lastly, for a man once considered a CAPologist, I believe Mike Tannenbaum's spending savvy has devolved right along with his quality control.  He wastes his Jets dollars most unwisely these days. So overall, I'd have to conclude by saying instead of progressing, the Jets are now in the midst of regressing under Mike Tannenbaum.


I do like Rex Ryan as a coach.  There is only so much of what ails the Jets that I'm willing to put on him.  Aside from all the other extraneous stuff Rex brings to the table, I believe he squeezed every bit of success he possibly could from the last three rosters he was given.  This season however, he really, really has his work cut out for him.


Will the hiring of new Offensive Coordinator Tony Sparano help the Jets?  With regards to former Coach Schottenheimer, yes.  Will he help with regards to the Offensive Line?  If you limit the discussion to technique, accountability, and preparation, he might.  But if we're talking about ability, don't make me laugh.  It is very simple.  The Offensive Line has to prove they can protect Marc Sanchez better; if at all.  Because if they don't, and make Marc Sanchez look bad in the process, the organization is going to quite literally hand the ball off to Tim Tebow.  And in my view, if Tebow takes over the helm, the Jets will crash and burn.


With all the positions that needed attention this past off-season, and depending how much you like Sanchez, Mike Tanenbaum acquired the one player the Jets needed least.  Ponderous.  At the same time Mike Tannenbaum is devolving by his own doing, the Offensive Line caused Marc Sanchez to devolve as a quarterback as well.  Upgrading the Offensive Line, and finding Sanchez a suitable receiver should have been the GM's concentration; not acquiring Tim Tebow.


In effect, Marc Sanchez took a step backwards last season, partly of his own doing.  But others definitely contributed.  Tannenbaum certainly helped.  He took away Sanchez' favorite receivers, and gave him headaches.  Coach Schottenheimer helped.  He gave Marc Sanchez misdirection.  Then if you want to point at not having an able running game to supplement Sanchez last season, I will point right back at the Offensive Line.  Not only couldn't they protect the quarterback last season, they equally failed to provide any daylight to run through.  It is all relative.  It all starts up front.


If the Offense is inefficient this season, the Defense in turn won't be able to hold up.  They can only do so much.  Outside of the obvious lack of a pass rush, there are no real concerns for the Jets on Defense. They will be good.  But if they are consistently having to retake the field after repeated three-and-outs, or something to that effect, the Defense will surely wear down.  No conditioning program on the planet will prepare Bart Scott for Jets ineptness on Offense and the toll it will take on his own body when the Defense is asked to do too much.


If acquiring Tim Tebow is a sick way of circumventing an ineffective Offensive Line and their plan for shaking free of their bigger problems, they are running directly into a fire.  If things go awry this season, Mike Tannenbaum must go.  It will be then, and only then, Woody Johnson reveals his true priorities.  He's the one in the Control Tower.


So what to make of the man who champions "one can never have enough Tebow....."?  I'll say this about Woody - he is making it increasingly difficult to decipher whether he wants a top flight football team, or a second rate headline maker.  For truth be told, Mike Tannenbaum is also Woody Johnson's biggest enabler.  And therefore, Mike Tannenbaum is in a conundrum.  The GM himself also made it difficult to determine whether the he is commitment to bettering the team, or finding unique and imaginative new ways to sell Woody's undersold tickets.  He is good at skirting the issue because he speaks well without saying much.


If things go badly this season, I'd like to see the GM talk his way out of this one.  But I say if you really want to know what Woody Johnson's priorities are, Mike Tannenbaum needs to be fired.  But who fires Tannenbaum?  He serves Woody so well.  And there-in lies the biggest problem facing the Jets - not personnel.


Good luck this season Jets fans.  Try really really try hard to..........

Just  -  Enjoy  -  The -  Season

Mike.BTB

New York Jets: Please Clean Up After Your Dog

From the desk of:   A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN

SNOOPY BOWL PREVIEW ~ Giants vs. Jets

NEW YORK JETS:  Oh No He Didn't?!

The Sanchise Calls Out His O-Line.

The Only Thing I Can Think Of, That Is Big, Green,

And Entertaining, Is GUMBY Damn It!

Did Marc Sanchez call out his Offensive Line on TV during the second half of Saturday's game against the Giants?  Upon further review, I think he did.

"....they gotta stop a four man rush.  It's that simple." - or something to that effect, is how he phrased it.

Those are biting words my friend, and an easy way to lose friends.  As a matter of fact, almost everything he said into the microphone Saturday night was directed at the Offensive Line.  The Giants sacked Jets quarterbacks seven times in last night's exhibition.  They got to Sanchez three times, and got hold of Tim Tebow another four times.

At least Sanchez got caught by the Giants' starters.  In the first half, he was greeted in the backfield by Jason Pierre Paul, Osi, and Justin Tuck, which is quite understandable.  But in the second half, the Offensive Line allowed the Giants to corral Tim Tebow another four times by guys named Adewale Ojomo, who had two sacks, William Hill, And Matt Broha.  To get run over by that line-up guarantees a week chock-full-o criticisms.  And the only way the criticisms will stop, is if the Jets take the field next week, and actually show they can play this game.

Poor guy.  Marc Sanchez is trying really, really hard to exert himself now that Tim Tebow is here, isn't he?  His words might carry some more weight if he hadn't thrown that pick-six though.  The Jets QB may have single-handed won a place on the Giants' roster for rookie, #38-Jayron Hosely, with that play.  Jayron Hosely took Sanchez, to-the-house.  He returned a Marc Sanchez INT seventy-seven yards for a touchdown in front of Gang Green's crowd.

Marc Sanchez had six offensive opportunities to matriculate the ball up the field.  Six times, the Jets failed to score points.  And on their way to halftime, Steve Weatherford reminded his old team just how huge of a mistake they committed by not signing the now Giants Punter.  In this Giants fan's eyes, Steve Weatherford was Big Blue's runner-up MVP of last season.  In the first half of Saturday's game, the Jets watched their punter, T.J. Conley, shank punt after punt after punt.

In the second half, at least Tim Tebow moved the Jets close enough to score a field goal.  And on the passes he did connect on, he looked a little crisper than Sanchez as well; just a little.  There was the obligatory interception, of course.  But at face value, there were a lot a cheers for Tebow when he took the field for the first time.  Like Sanchez, even Tebow had a word or two for his Linemen.  On one occasion after getting sacked, he popped up and got pretty animated, and seemed to be directing his ire towards his front guys.  The QB controversy only gets worse from here.

I put much of the blame for this mess on Mike Tannenbaum.  And if I'm ranking the one's most responsible, indeed Tannenbaum is number one.  But then comes his boss, Woody Johnson.  After the owner I start blaming players.  And at the bottom of my blame list, would be Head Coach Rex Ryan.

Since reaching back to back AFC Championship games, the Jets have done more to devolve back into the green primordial ooze of futility than assembling a squadron of qualified Jets.

Right now, I can only think of one thing that is Big, Green, and entertaining.  And that would be Gumby damn it!  I'm not a Jets fan, but even I was annoyed at Gang Green's play Saturday.  That goes for all of them.  The Jets have a potential disaster on their hands.  So buckle up, make sure your trays are in their upright positions.  When the oxygen masks drop on Opening Day, kiss your season good-bye and brace for impact.

And by the way, the Giants are upset the Jets didn't clean up after themselves after pooping in their house.

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: Still Trying To Paint The Town Green

From the desk of:  A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN 

J - E - T - S

Just - Enjoy - Tanenbaum's - Signings

OR

Just - Enjoy - The - Shenanigans

NEW YORK JETS:

Was It Over When The Germans Bombed Pearl Harbor?

When we last saw them in December of 2011, the frat brothers of D-Generation Rex were in the process of getting caught red-handed, holding brushes and spray cans, while trying to paint the town Green.  The way last season ended was just the latest in a series of setbacks.  For at their zenith two years ago, Gang Green threw a most debaucherous toga party in New England, and did things which they'd eventually forgive themselves for.  You should have seen them.  They felt so ashamed - an all time low.


In retaliation for snide remarks a Patriots' nerd made regarding Rex Bluto's best gal, and her pretty feet, Bart D-Day Scott, and Boon Sanchez, retrofitted the Jets, and unleashed an aerial bombardment down upon Wes Welker, and greater Beantown, that some fans in Foxboro are still hiding from.  Then for good measure in the after-party, they imposed themselves and danced with other people's dates, served alcohol to under age women at the party, and performed acts so heinous decorum does not permit me to discuss them here.


Indeed, the more raucous residents of Big Blue House on the Prairie never felt more high than on that night against the Patriots.  But since that game, all their grade point averages have dropped, and more and more, it appeared as if seven years of college were heading down the drain; especially after they killed that horse last season.  But you can't keep their spirit down, now can you?  At least not Rex Bluto's you can't.  Because for him, it wasn't over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, now was it?  For Rex, not talking about about himself, the Super Bowl, or how great his team stands to be, is a conversation not worth having.  That said, Rex Bluto, Hoover Tanenbaum, Woody Otter Johnson, and the rest of the Jets are back.  And this time, D-Generation Rex is rolling with their newest pledge, Pinto!


If you're a Jets fan, you can't help but admire with bewilderment, the thoroughness of the job, fraternity president and Jets General Manager Hoover Tanenbaum has done with this team.  Make no mistake.  This most motley collection of class clowns, entitled brats, and media dramatists exists by design.  But why?  Well?  Being that Hoover Tanenbaum sits at the head of his own class, he'll be made to stand in front of the Dean's desk.  Problem is, there is no Dean!  Woody Otter Johnson is the one with the twelve inch check book in that black doctor's bag he keeps behind the bar.  In other words, this is Woody's cucumber, and if he thinks his is bigger than yours, that's all that matters to him.  And so far, he seemingly likes the way the semester is going.


Regardless of what I think, here they are!  View them in all their Green incredulity.


There are players on this team that pollute the atmosphere down to a molecular level.  Good luck with that.  However still, the 2012 Jets will perhaps be the most unique gathering of fifty-three players dressed in green shirts and tight white pants you might ever witness as a fan.  Of which, I'm not one.  So let's get this out of the way before the season begins.  I am a Giants fan.  But I am not a hater.  I have never harbored ill will towards the Jets.  But I will be covering the Jets this season the best I can as a source of entertainment.  Because heaven knows they are a major source of material.  Are you guys happy about that?  ....I digress.


Of course, there is the newest pledge, Pinto Tebow.  He's the one running around camp with a devil on one shoulder scheming for Boon Sanchez' job, and telling Tebow to take off his shirt in the rain.  And on the other shoulder sits and angel, getting him to say all the right things to the media, and stick to his core values.  Boon Sanchez is dejected already, so look out.  His main supporter, Rex, hasn't been too faithful lately.  And should Boon Sanchez fail at any point this season, that could very well open the door for Pinto to take his job.  That's when things will get totally out of control.  That's when kegs start crashing through the windows.  And if Woody isn't really careful, Pinto Tebow just might deliver his daughter to the doorstep of his house in a shopping cart, ring the bell, and rush away.  Because after all, isn't rushing the ball what Tim Tebow does best?


In four months from now, don't cry when someone puts their arm around you and says, "You f#cked-up!  You trusted us." Or, if luck has it, as Otter once championed, "..what's needed is a real futile and stupid gesture be done on some one's part....."  And the Jets feel they're just the guys to do it.

SATURDAY,

AUGUST 18, 2012

Pre-Season Game Two:

Battle in the Swamp

NEW YORK GIANTS

@

NEW YORK JETS

FROM

Giants Stadium!

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Jets ~ 2012 Guaranteed to be a Memorable Season

NEW YORK JETS:  Write This In Stone; The 2012 Jets' Season Will Be One of the Most Tumultuous Campaigns in Team History.



Jet Fans, let's get right to the heart of the matter.  The triumvirate of Rex Ryan, Mike Tannenbaum, and Woody Johnson, are turning your team into a circus.



Let's lead off with the Head Coach, shall we?  In just speaking of this last season alone, Rex Ryan remained disconnected from the offensive side of the ball.  He antagonized his "little Brother" and paid a Big Blue price for it late in the season.  Then on the heals of back-to-back AFC Championship appearances, Rex's team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since taking over.  Once the season ended, certain players started airing out their dirty laundry to the Media.  And when questioned about his team's alleged grievances, Rex Ryan denied knowing problems existed amongst his players and pleaded ignorance to any simmering locker room animosities.  It just never occurred to him that his locker room was in dire need of an attitude adjustment.  And to me, that's a failure to capture the pulse of the team.  But how could he, when he himself was involved in a falling out with his offensive coordinator and was constantly jostling with the Media and creating his own controversies?



He remains unaccountable for a team that continues to lose it's identity - an identity (see Ground and Pound) that he never truly established, or, committed to, in the first place.  Over all, what the Jets have achieved so far under Rex has been arrived at more so through his words, than through deeds.



That's the outsiders view.  But I'm a local.  I get Rex Ryan and I like Rex Ryan, even though you folks know I'm a Giants Fan.  None of this should come off as hatin' either.  I understand Rex's in-game, and his methods.  He's cool with me.  But the record speaks for itself, and sometimes you need to be called on the carpet just to keep you honest.  I will say this though - his style has a short life span.  And a General Manager can only exasperate the situation by continually bringing in the wrong kind of players.



Mike Tannenbaum deserves his third-share of blame; if not more.  I believe Mike Tannenbaum bears the most responsibility for last season's disappointment.  And it is precisely because there has been no philosophical consistency from him.  I get no sense he has a coherent plan.  What I see is more of a Fantasy Football approach these last two seasons.  He also strikes me as a swinger.  When Eric Mangini was still coach, Tannenbaum operated with a more conservative and business like tact.  With Rex, Tannenbaum has again taken on his Head Coach's persona; if not in similar fashion to Rex's overt brashness, but through his splashy, risky, yet fearless transactions.



He put together a fine team in 2009, but has literally spent the last two seasons sabotaging it.  More and more he's proving himself to be exactly who Bill Parcells thought he was bringing to the Jets; a CAPologist - and nothing more.  He is nifty with numbers, and is extremely well spoken.  But with each passing season as GM, he's proving himself to be an inadequate team builder.  I say that because I feel he caused this team to take a series of backwards steps.



Somewhere in between Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum lies the curious case of Braylon Edwards. By the time of initial his signing, Tannenbaum was already committed to taking chances on players with a checkered past.  As things worked out, Braylon would have run through walls for Rex in addition to working well with Mark Sanchez.  The Jets then decided Santonio Holmes was who they really wanted.  But with Santonio in, and Braylon, and Jerricho Cotchery out, Peace; Love; and Harmony; left the building.  That, if anything, seems representative of Mike Tannenbaum's plan.  And well, in two short seasons, his transactions have polluted the locker room.  And now the Jets are considering a return of Braylon Edwards again.  That's what you call a circle folks.



Look what the decent from 2009 has done to your quarterback.  Mark Sanchez took major strides backwards last season.  But if you dig a little deeper than just the prevailing opinions about him, you would know so many things around him failed or broke down; to include his offensive coordinator.  But only QB's get blamed.  While everyone is busy dumping on Mark Sanchez, a sub-par offensive line goes largely unspoken about.  And now through their actions, the head Coach and the GM have given every indication they are about to turn on their quarterback.  In football terms, the contract extension the Jets gave Sanchez was more like a kiss of death.  The organization can spin this any way they want.  Mark Sanchez is now walking a tight rope without a net.



Sometimes locker rooms get polluted because you populate them with the wrong kind of people for the wrong reasons.  There's always the business side of Football to contend with.  And that's where the owner comes in.  Many believe Woody Johnson is the instigator of some questionable moves made by the Jets.  After all, he has a brand to sell.  And many think he encourages his organization to conduct it's business in a manner that strikes me as more flamboyant, than fundamental.  Overt attention grabbers and trying to win the back pages of the tabloids are not what winning football teams are made of.  But this is exactly what the Jets are being accused of.  Starved for attention in the shadow of the N.Y. Giants, many accuse Woody Johnson himself for taking the team down this path.



THIS IS THE WORLD....  Tim Tebow is now a part of.  And the fact Rex Ryan, Mike Tannenbaum, nor Woody Johnson were on hand at Tebow's press conference was plainly and simply - negligent; if not laughable.



What starts now is something of a completely different matter.  What dynamics Tim Tebow will, or will not bring to the Jets' offense, remains to be seen.  It is only March, and what we already know is that the Jets' 2012 season will be one of the most tumultuous campaigns in the organization's history.






Mike.BTB